Palm Coast, FL Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Exterior inspection interval
- At least once every 2 years
- Interior inspection interval
- At least once every 4 years, with consent or warrant
- Registration renewal
- Annual, with the city occupational license tax
- Noncompliance fee
- Per-unit re-inspection fee set by resolution
- Governing sections
- City Code §§ 17-39, 17-41, 17-42
Summary
Palm Coast requires every owner of residential rental property to register with the city under Sec. 17-39, and Sec. 17-41 ties that registration to periodic city inspections: an exterior check at least once every two years and an interior check at least once every four years. A per-unit fee applies to any re-inspection needed because a violation remains uncorrected.
(a)External inspections of rental residential properties subject to this article shall occur based upon complaints or as initiated by code inspectors.(b)Beginning in Fiscal Year 2006—2007, at minimum, in order to maintain a current annual registration, each unit must have had an external investigation conducted within two years of the registration renewal date.(c)Internal inspections by the City shall occur based upon complaints as set forth in subsection 17-41(d), or as initiated by code inspectors to ensure that such properties are in compliance with the provisions of all applicable codes and ordinances; provided, however, that this provision shall not be interpreted as authorizing the City to conduct internal inspections of properties without the consent of the owner or occupant or without an inspection warrant.(d)Beginning in Fiscal Year 2008—2009, at minimum, in order to maintain a current annual registration, each unit must have had an internal investigation conducted within four years of the registration renewal date.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 44 | Land Development Code: Supplement 18).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 17, Article III of the Palm Coast Code of Ordinances (Sec. 17-37 through 17-42) sets up the city's residential rental inspection program. Every owner of residential rental property must register with the city within 60 days of the article's effective date, listing the owner's contact information and the address of each rental unit (Sec. 17-39(a)); registration is renewed annually alongside the city occupational license tax (Sec. 17-39(c)), and any change of address or phone number must be reported within 30 days (Sec. 17-39(b)). Sec.
17-41 builds the inspection cycle on top of that registration. External inspections happen on complaint or when a code inspector initiates one, and starting in Fiscal Year 2006-2007 each unit must undergo an external inspection at least once every two years to keep its registration current. Starting in Fiscal Year 2008-2009, the same registration also requires an internal inspection at least once every four years, though the ordinance is explicit that the city cannot conduct an internal inspection without the consent of the owner or occupant, or without an inspection warrant (Sec.
17-41(c)). If a re-inspection finds that a cited violation still exists after the city has allowed a reasonable correction period, the city assesses a noncompliance inspection fee on a per-unit, per-re-inspection basis, with the dollar amount set by City Council resolution (Sec. 17-41(e)). The program exempts hotels, motels, rooming houses, resort dwellings, bed and breakfast inns, manufactured housing developments, apartment units and condominium units, provided those uses keep on-site property management and maintenance, and it exempts owner-occupied duplexes where the owner lives in the attached unit (Sec. 17-38(a)).
Violations & Fines
Failing to keep a rental registration current under the Sec. 17-41 inspection schedule, or letting a cited violation persist past the correction period, triggers a per-unit noncompliance inspection fee set by City Council resolution (Sec. 17-41(e)). Beyond that fee, Sec. 17-42(a) lets the city pursue any penalty or remedy state law authorizes for the underlying code violation, though incarceration is off the table; a separate Class I citation applies specifically to a landlord's failure to designate a local representative (Sec. 17-42(b)).
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does Palm Coast inspect registered rental units?
Can a Palm Coast code inspector enter my rental unit without my consent?
What happens if my rental unit fails a re-inspection?
Do all rentals in Palm Coast have to register?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palm Coast
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Palm Coast to another location·View the Florida rental inspections overview
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