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

Section 7-22 of the Jacksonville Beach Code adopts the International Property Maintenance Code, latest edition, as published by the International Code Council, Inc., for the purpose of establishing minimum standards for occupancy of buildings. A copy is filed in the office of the city clerk, and the provisions are incorporated as if set out at length and are controlling within the limits of the city. The standard is written for the occupancy of buildings in general, so a building owned by a landlord is measured against it like any other. The Code of Ordinances itself does not reprint the technical requirements of the IPMC, and this page does not paraphrase them.

Section 7-23 localizes the adoption. Under subsection (a), the Department of Property Maintenance Inspection referred to in Section 103 is the Planning and Development Department, and the term code official means the Director of Planning and Development or his or her designee. Subsection (b) provides that the Florida Building Code takes precedence over any other standard codes referenced in the IPMC. Subsection (c) repeals Section 111, Means of Appeal, of the IPMC, so that section is not part of Jacksonville Beach law.

Enforcement runs through the special magistrate process in Chapter 2, Article VI. Under § 2-171(b), the code inspector notifies the violator and gives a reasonable time to correct; if the violation continues past that time, the inspector requests a hearing. For a repeat violation, § 2-171(c) says the inspector need not give time to correct, and the case can go to the special magistrate even if the violation has since been fixed. If a violation presents a serious threat to public health, safety and welfare, § 2-171(d) allows an immediate hearing request. Orders and findings issue within thirty (30) days of the hearing under § 2-172(d), and a recorded order binds later purchasers. An owner who transfers property during a proceeding must give the buyer written disclosure and file notice with the code inspector within five (5) days of the transfer (§ 2-171(e)).