Bellevue, NE Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Chapter 15, Article III of the Bellevue Code sets the baseline every rental unit must meet. Section 15-49 requires an approved kitchen sink with running water in every dwelling unit and a toilet in every unit, with narrow sharing allowed only between two second-class units capped at eight occupants total. Section 15-59 puts the heating duty on the owner or operator directly: anyone who rents, leases or lets a dwelling unit with an understanding to supply heat must maintain at least 70 degrees Fahrenheit from 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. whenever the outdoor temperature falls below 50 degrees, and not less than 60 degrees overnight from 10:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.

Companion sections in the same article require adequate window area, ventilation, functioning electric outlets and screens against insects. Enforcement runs through Article II: the Permits and Inspections Department may enter and inspect dwellings under Section 15-21, and where it finds a violation it must serve written notice under Section 15-23 describing the defect and a reasonable time to fix it. A recipient may petition for a hearing under Section 15-24, with appeal rights to the Board of Housing Appeals under Section 15-37. Where conditions are severe enough, the Department can placard, condemn or order vacation of a dwelling as unfit under Sections 15-28 through 15-34, and can even bar an owner from collecting rent on a condemned unit under Section 15-35.