Redwood City, CA Rental Property Rules: Repairs & Habitability (2026)

70 states the article's purpose is to protect the habitability, appearance and social and economic stability of the City, and to protect the public from the health and safety hazards and impairment of property values that come from neglected, deteriorating property. 72 lists specific conditions that count as public nuisances once they exist on a premises, whether the property is owner-occupied or rented. Among them: garbage cans not kept watertight or kept too close to a public sidewalk, buildings or structures abandoned, boarded up or left unsecured for six consecutive months or longer, exterior walls that are cracked, defaced, graffiti-covered or have broken windows or deteriorated cornices, litter or scrap that is visible from the street and unsightly, fences or sheds visible from public view that are broken, leaning or dilapidated, and swimming pools or ponds that are abandoned or unfiltered so the water turns polluted with algae, insect remains or debris.

74, with costs becoming a lien on the property. 75 requires written notice giving the owner or responsible person at least ten days to either fix the condition or appear before the Hearing Officer, defined as the Director of Community Development, to show cause why it should not be abated at the owner's expense. 78 gives the owner fifteen days after the Hearing Officer's decision to appeal to the City Council, whose decision is final.