Waterloo, IA Rental Inspections: Inspection Programs (2026)

Section 9-1B-2 of the Waterloo City Code amends the International Property Maintenance Code, 2015 edition, adopted in section 9-1B-1. The amendment adds section 104.2.1: "Regular Rental Inspection. Rental property, rental units and the common areas thereof shall be inspected in accordance with a program of regular rental inspections every 3 years, or as deemed necessary by the code official." The building official, appointed as the code official under amended section 103.2, and deputized code enforcement officers, building inspectors, fire inspectors and Waterloo police officers under section 103.3, carry out those inspections.

A certificate of compliance issued under new section 113.1 documents that a unit met the code as of its last inspection, states the inspection date, address and dwelling classification, and transfers automatically between owners, though rental unit registrations themselves do not transfer; section 113.2 notes the certificate does not certify compliance with the city's separate fire, building or zoning codes. The amendment also adds section 403.7 requiring carbon monoxide alarms and section 403.6 addressing visible mold in rental units. Fees for inspections and certificates are set by City Council resolution under amended section 103.5 and are due before the certificate of compliance is issued.