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

Code of Ordinances Sec. 18-103 bars anyone from occupying as owner or letting to a tenant, for compensation or not, any dwelling that fails a detailed list of minimum housing standards. The unit must have a kitchen sink, lavatory, tub or shower, and water closet connected to an approved water and sewer system, plus hot water capable of reaching at least 120 degrees Fahrenheit at every fixture. Heating facilities must safely warm all habitable rooms and bathrooms; unvented gas heaters are capped at 30 Btu per hour per cubic foot of room content and are barred from bedrooms entirely.

The kitchen needs impervious food-prep surfaces, storage, a freestanding or built-in stove (portable electric or flame cooking equipment doesn't count), and mechanical refrigeration, unless the owner and tenant have a written agreement shifting the stove or refrigerator obligation to the tenant. Every habitable room needs a window or skylight equal to at least 8 percent of the room's floor area for light and 45 percent of that window area operable for ventilation. Structural elements including the foundation, exterior walls, roof, and interior floors and stairs must be sound and weathertight, and the code sets a minimum of 150 square feet of floor space for a dwelling's first occupant plus 100 additional square feet per added occupant, with a 7-foot minimum ceiling height in habitable rooms.

Rooming houses face added rules: one shared bathroom per four rooms, and 70 square feet of sleeping space for a single occupant or 50 square feet per occupant when shared.