Lee's Summit, MO Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

1 to require that every door providing access to a dwelling unit, rooming unit or housekeeping unit that is rented, leased or let carry a deadbolt lock. The lock must be readily openable from the egress side without keys or special knowledge, must have a minimum throw of 1 inch, and must be installed per the manufacturer's specifications and kept in good working order; a sliding bolt does not satisfy the requirement, though the Codes Official may accept a non-conforming lock on review. Beyond the lock rule, Sec.

1) sets the baseline habitability floor for every rental: exterior property and premises must be maintained in a clean, safe and sanitary condition, and it separately bars animal carcasses left more than twelve hours, standing water that breeds mosquitoes, and noxious odors from a trade or manufacturing use. Notably, the City repealed the IPMC's general residential heat-supply mandate (Sec. 3), so there is no citywide minimum indoor temperature written into the Property Maintenance Code for a rented dwelling unit; only 'occupiable work spaces' carry an explicit 65°F minimum under Sec.

4). Enforcement runs through the Codes Official, who can obtain a search warrant from Municipal Court on a sworn complaint of probable cause (Sec. 16-103) if a landlord refuses entry. A conviction under the Property Maintenance Code is punished under Sec. 4) with a fine of $50 for a first offense, $100 for a second, $300 for a third, and $500 for a fourth or subsequent offense at the same location, plus up to 90 days in jail. Anyone affected by a notice or order, including a landlord cited for a habitability violation, has 10 days to file a written appeal to the Board of Appeals under Sec. 1).