Bradenton, FL Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Sec. 18-240 adopts the International Property Maintenance Code, 2024, published by the International Code Council, as the property maintenance code of the City of Bradenton, together with its appendix A, with three copies on file in the office of the city clerk. Sec. 18-241 then revises it. Section 101.1 names the City of Bradenton as the jurisdiction. Sections 103.1 through 103.3 are replaced so that the Code Enforcement Division of the City of Bradenton and the Code Official enforce the code in the manner other building, safety and property codes are enforced, and the Code Official can use code enforcement officers and other city employees and delegate authority to them. Section 302.4 prints the entry "Insert 10 inches (254mm). Insert Grass-type ground cover shall not exceed six inches." Section 304.14 takes January 1st and December 31st, and sections 602.3 and 602.4 each take October 1st and March 31st. Sections 704.1.1 and 704.1.2 tie fire protection and life safety systems to the Florida Building Code and the Florida Fire Prevention Code. Sec. 22-58 ties vacation rental inspections to the international property maintenance code as well.

The older housing layer is still in the Code. Sec. 18-201 adopts the Standard Housing Code, 1994 Edition, to supplement and implement the building codes, and provides that where it conflicts with any city ordinance, the ordinance prevails. A copy stays on file in the office of the city administrator or designee.

Sec. 18-242 adds citywide minimum maintenance standards. Every broken or missing window glass shall be repaired or replaced, leaky roofs shall be repaired or replaced, no trash shall be placed on sidewalks except on days the city picks it up, and no temporary covering can remain more than 15 days after ongoing construction has been completed or 60 days total, whichever is longer.

Landlords face one more rule in Sec. 18-243. No person shall sell or lease real property that has been the subject of a public health nuisance declaration, or was the site of a known clandestine drug lab, without disclosing it to the buyer or tenant on a form provided by the administrative official. Cleanup documentation must show contamination reduced to .5 micrograms per 100 CM2 or less, and the owner must complete remediation and post-remediation assessment within 90 days of the declaration.