Gardena, CA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Gardena Municipal Code § 15.26.010 adopts the International Property Maintenance Code, 2021 Edition, by reference and makes it part of Chapter 15.26 as though set forth in full, so that code's provisions comprise the property maintenance code of the city. As with the CALGreen chapter, Chapter 15.26 carries no additional Gardena-specific amendment sections beyond the adoption itself; Ordinance No. 1851 § 11, 2023 readopted the current IPMC edition as part of the same package that updated the rest of Title 15. Because the general enforcement provisions of Title 15 apply to every chapter in the title, a habitability determination under the IPMC follows the same path as any other building-code determination: the Building Official issues the notice of violation, a property owner adversely affected by that determination can appeal to the Building Appeals Board under § 15.02.060 by filing a written appeal and fee with the chief building official within 10 days, and the Board must hold a hearing within 45 days and issue a final written decision, subject to a 90-day window for judicial review under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.6.

Unsafe or substandard conditions that a landlord or owner fails to correct after notice can also be pursued as a public nuisance and abated by the city, with abatement costs recoverable under Government Code Sections 38773.1 and 38773.5.