Raleigh, NC Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- UDO § 11.6.3
- Required hot water temp
- 110–140 degrees
- Habitable room window minimum
- 6 sq ft or mechanical vent
- 1st violation admin fee
- $325 per hearing
- Repeat violation admin fee (12 mo)
- $650 per hearing
- Non-compliance civil penalty
- $500 first day, $100/day after
- Appeal body
- Raleigh Board of Adjustment
Summary
Raleigh's Housing Code sets minimum equipment standards every rental dwelling must meet: working kitchen sink, private toilet and bathing facilities, hot water between 110 and 140 degrees, and adequate heat, light and ventilation. A City inspector enforces these standards under UDO Article 11.6, with civil penalties and administrative fees for landlords who don't fix cited defects.
No person shall occupy or let to another for occupancy, any dwelling unit for the purpose of human habitation which does not comply with the following minimum requirements: ... Every dwelling unit shall contain a kitchen sink, free from corrosion and leaks, in good working condition and properly connected to a water and sewer system approved by the City. The kitchen sink shall have hot and cold running water. ... Water heating facilities shall be properly installed, maintained and capable of providing an adequate amount of hot water to be drawn at every required sink, bathtub, shower and laundry facility at a temperature between 110 and 140 degrees. ... Every existing habitable room shall be provided with a window with a minimum of 6 square feet or a gravity or mechanical ventilation system capable of providing one air change every 30 minutes approved by the City.
Full Breakdown
3 bars anyone from occupying or renting out a dwelling unit that lacks a corrosion-free kitchen sink with hot and cold running water, a private toilet room with lockable door hardware, and a bathtub or shower, all properly connected to City-approved water and sewer service. Water heaters must deliver hot water between 110 and 140 degrees at every required fixture. Every habitable room needs either a window of at least 6 square feet or mechanical ventilation providing one air change every 30 minutes, plus at least two electric outlets, and every dwelling must have heating facilities installed and maintained.
2. 7 requires the inspector to serve a complaint and hold a hearing within 10 to 30 days. 8, the order requires the owner to repair or vacate the unit, or, if repair would exceed 50 percent of the dwelling's value, to demolish it within at least 90 days. 6. § 160D-1208.
Violations & Fines
Under § 11.6.17, an inspection hearing that finds violations of the § 11.6.3 minimum standards triggers a $325 administrative fee, rising to $650 for a second violation-finding inspection within 12 months, plus the City's costs of service and publication. Under § 11.6.16, an owner who fails to comply with a repair, vacate-and-close, or demolition order faces a $500 civil penalty for the first day after the deadline passes and $100 per day after that; a second offense within a year carries a $1,000 first-day penalty and $250 per day thereafter. Unpaid penalties become a debt the City can sue to collect after 30 days, and re-occupying a placarded, unfit dwelling is a separate misdemeanor offense for each day of occupancy under § 11.6.16.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Raleigh
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Repairs & Habitability in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Wake County handle repairs & habitability.