Livonia, MI Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

Chapter 15.32 adopts the 2012 edition of the International Property Maintenance Code by reference, with the Director of Inspection as code official (§§ 15.32.020, 15.32.030). Amended IPMC 602.3 requires any owner who rents or leases a dwelling or sleeping unit and supplies heat to maintain at least 68 degrees Fahrenheit from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and at least 65 degrees the rest of the day, in all habitable rooms, bathrooms and toilet rooms, from September 1 through May 31; occupiable work spaces must hold 65 degrees during occupied hours under IPMC 602.4.

Other local amendments reach garbage facilities, requiring every dwelling to have either an approved food waste grinder or a leak-proof, covered outside container (§ 15.32.175); insect screens of at least 16 mesh per inch on ventilation openings from April 1 to December 1 (§ 15.32.160); rodent harborage controls, including stacking firewood at least one foot above ground (§ 15.32.145); and handrail and guardrail height standards for stairs, decks and porches (§ 15.32.170). Section 15.32.065 (also cross-referenced for rental licensing) requires an annual habitability inspection of one-family, two-family and multiple-family rental dwellings, rooming houses and hotels, and bars occupancy of any such building until the Director of Inspection issues a certificate of compliance; a re-inspection is required before any covered property is transferred, conveyed, leased or sold.

Owners under a pending notice of violation who sell or lease anyway must furnish the buyer or tenant a copy of the violation notice and a notarized acknowledgment of receipt filed with the Director of Inspection.