Kokomo, IN Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Chapter 160 establishes the Rental Housing Code covering all rental units and premises within the City of Kokomo, incorporating Chapter 152 Housing by reference under Section 160.12(C). Section 160.18 makes the owner responsible for compliance and bars letting a unit that fails the chapter's requirements. Section 160.19 requires premises free of accumulated rubbish or garbage, proper grading and drainage, weed and grass control above eight inches, and sound accessory structures. Section 160.20 requires the exterior, including foundations, walls, roofs, chimneys, stairs, windows and doors, to be structurally sound, weathertight and free of hazards; the Rental Housing Officer can order repairs with up to six months to comply, less for life-threatening conditions.

Section 160.21 imposes matching interior standards: sound structural members, clean sanitary surfaces free of peeling lead paint, impervious bathroom and kitchen floors, and exit doors operable without a key. Section 160.22 requires every habitable room to have an operable window or equivalent ventilation and adequate light. The City Building Inspector serves as Rental Housing Officer under Section 160.09 and enforces the chapter, with decisions appealable to the Kokomo Board of Public Works and Safety within 20 days. Noncompliant properties can have their registration permit revoked under Section 160.06, and the Officer may declare a unit unsafe or order an emergency vacate under Section 160.08. These maintenance provisions were last amended by Ordinance 6849, passed December 12, 2016.