Royal Oak, MI Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

Section 104.8, Rental Property Registration, added at § 556-4.A of the Royal Oak City Code and amended 4-22-2024 by Ordinance No. 2024-06, requires every owner to register a residential rental with the City before it is occupied by a nonowner, and § 556-4.A(5) provides that a registration stays in effect only until the expiration date on the registration itself, unless the City revokes it sooner for cause. Failing to secure or renew a registration, or failing to pay the inspection fee that comes with it, is itself a violation of Chapter 556.

To back the registry, § 556-4.A(8) authorizes the Code Official or a representative to enter any structure or premises at any reasonable time to make inspections and carry out duties under the Property Maintenance Code, which lets the City confirm the bedroom counts, parking spaces, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and other conditions the owner swore to on the application. If an owner does not pay a registration or inspection fee within 30 days of the City's demand, § 556-4.A(5) turns the unpaid balance into a lien against the property, enforceable the same way the City enforces unpaid tax liens, in addition to the $1-per-day late charge that already applies once a payment is 30 days overdue.

The Code Official can also suspend a registration outright for cause under § 556-4.A(6), with an appeal to the City Manager, so the inspection program combines a paper registry, a physical inspection right and a financial backstop in one ordinance.