Portsmouth, VA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)
Key Facts
- Districts
- Three rental inspection districts citywide
- Multifamily sampling
- 2%-10% of units inspected if over 10 units
- Clean-inspection exemption
- 4 years, revocable if violations arise
- Periodic inspection cap
- No more than once per calendar year
- Outside-district inspection
- Allowed if blighted or code violations shown
- Enforcing agency
- Department of permits and inspections
Summary
Portsmouth runs mandatory rental inspections in three council-designated rental inspection districts, checking dwelling units for compliance with building code standards that protect safe, decent, and sanitary living conditions for tenants. After an initial inspection with no violations, an owner earns a four-year exemption from further inspection.
Upon the establishment of a rental inspection district, the department may, in conjunction with the written notifications as provided in section 17-84, proceed to inspect dwelling units in the designated rental inspection district to determine if a dwelling unit is being used as residential rental property and to determine compliance with the provisions of the building code that affect the safe, decent and sanitary living conditions for the tenants of such property. [Sec. 17-93:] There are hereby established three rental inspection districts within the City of Portsmouth. The boundaries of each of the districts shall be as shown on a series of three maps entitled "Rental Inspection Districts Maps, Portsmouth, Virginia," dated July 1, 2005, and any amendments thereto.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
Sec. 1:1, per Sec. 17-94. Once a district is created, Sec. 17-85 authorizes the department of permits and inspections to inspect dwelling units there to confirm whether a unit is being used as rental property and whether it complies with the building code provisions that affect safe, decent, and sanitary living conditions for tenants. For multifamily developments with more than ten rental units, Sec. 17-86 limits the initial and periodic inspections to a sample of between two and ten percent of the units, and caps the inspection fee at no more than ten units' worth, unless that sample turns up violations, in which case the department can inspect as many units as needed.
Sec. 17-89 rewards a clean inspection with a four-year exemption from further rental inspection, though Sec. 17-90 lets the department revoke that exemption if the unit falls out of compliance during the exemption period, and the owner must request a new periodic inspection within 45 days after the exemption expires. Absent an exemption, Sec. 17-88 caps periodic inspections at once per calendar year. Sec. 17-91 also allows the department to inspect a rental unit outside any designated district if it is blighted, deteriorating, or shows evidence of building code violations affecting tenant safety. Sec. 17-92 sets inspection fees under Appendix A to the Code.
Violations & Fines
Renting or leasing a unit inside a rental inspection district before it is inspected and issued a certificate of compliance is a misdemeanor under Sec. 17-83, subject to the penalties in Sec. 17-27, up to $2,500.00. An owner who lets a previously exempt unit fall out of compliance risks revocation of the four-year exemption under Sec. 17-90 and a return to mandatory periodic inspection.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does Portsmouth's rental inspection program work?
Can my rental property get out of future inspections?
How often can Portsmouth inspect a rental unit that's not exempt?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portsmouth
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