Lawrence, KS Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Linking provision
- property maintenance violation = license violation
- Property maintenance code
- 2018 IPMC, locally amended (Ch. 9, Art. VII)
- Basement egress opening
- min. 5.0 sq ft, 22 in. clear dimension
- Max sill height
- 48 inches above finished floor
- Alternate compliance
- allowed only if safety not compromised
Summary
In the City of Lawrence, a rented dwelling in violation of the property maintenance code is automatically a violation of the rental licensing article, and basement bedrooms must have an emergency escape window at least 5.0 square feet with a sill no higher than 48 inches.
It shall be deemed a violation of this article for any residential rental property to be in violation of any provision of the city's property maintenance code, codified as amended at chapter 9, article VII, and all other applicable city codes. ... 702.4.1. ... Emergency egress for sleeping rooms in basements. Every sleeping room, located in a basement, shall have at least one operable emergency escape and rescue opening. Such openings shall have a minimum clear opening height and width of 22 inches in either dimension, with a total minimum net clear opening area of 5.0 square feet and shall have a sill height of not more than 48 inches, measured from the finished floor to the bottom of the clear opening.
Full Breakdown
Section 6-1314(a) of the Lawrence City Code ties habitability directly to licensing: any residential rental property that violates the city's property maintenance code, adopted and amended at Chapter 9, Article VII, or any other applicable city code, is deemed a violation of the rental licensing article itself, not just of the building code. That property maintenance code is the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code as locally amended. 0 square feet, and a sill no higher than 48 inches above the finished floor; a room counts as a basement bedroom whenever the floor above is less than six feet above grade at the opening.
Where the sill exceeds 48 inches, a permanently affixed interior ladder at least 14 inches wide is required. Section 6-1314(b) lets the code official grant alternate compliance for a habitability defect only where strict compliance is impossible and life, health, or fire safety is not compromised, with the alternate-compliance decision recorded in the code official's files.
Violations & Fines
A property maintenance code violation, including a missing or undersized basement egress window under section 9-729, is a violation of the rental article under section 6-1314(a) and can trigger a notice of violation under section 6-1316, remediation deadlines, probation under section 6-1318, or license revocation under section 6-1319, with a 14-day right to appeal to the building code board of appeals under section 6-1317.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Lawrence rental have to meet the property maintenance code to keep its license?
Are basement bedrooms in Lawrence rentals required to have an escape window?
Can a Lawrence landlord get out of a habitability requirement they can't meet?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lawrence
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