Key Facts Ordinance Text Full Breakdown Violations FAQ Sources More in Anchorage

Anchorage, AK Rental Property Rules: Relocation Assistance (2026)

Significant Restrictions

Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Relocation payment: 2x tenant's monthly rent
Payment deadline: 7 calendar days after notice to vacate
Trigger: Uncorrected violation makes unit uninhabitable
Owner nonpayment penalty: $50/day per tenant after 60 days
Limit: One payment per tenancy per unit
Key exceptions: Tenant misconduct, disaster damage, eminent domain

Summary

When Anchorage's Building Safety Division posts a notice to vacate on a rental dwelling found unfit for human habitation, the owner must pay the displaced tenant relocation assistance equal to two times monthly rent within seven calendar days, on top of refunding deposits and prepaid rent.

In addition to those remedies provided in subsection C.1 above, if upon reinspection of a rental dwelling, the violations are determined by the director not to have been corrected, and that the building is unfit for human habitation pursuant to section 15.10.180, the director may post a notice to vacate. Pursuant to this section, the owner shall bear the cost of relocation of their tenants to suitable housing. Within seven calendar days of receiving a notice to vacate, the owner shall pay to the tenant relocation assistance in the amount of two times the tenant's monthly rent in addition to refunding the amount of any deposit and prepaid rent to the full extent required by state law.

Source: Anchorage Municipal CodeView official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 5010260; v11 updated 2026-09-01).

Full Breakdown

180, the director may post a notice to vacate. The owner then bears the cost of relocating tenants: within seven calendar days of the notice, the owner must pay each tenant relocation assistance equal to two times that tenant's monthly rent, plus refund any deposit and prepaid rent in full as state law requires. Every tenant holding a valid tenancy at any point between the initial notice to repair and the final notice to vacate qualifies, though a tenant may collect and keep relocation assistance only once per tenancy per dwelling unit.

The owner is excused from paying if the violations were caused by a tenant's or third party's illegal conduct without the owner's knowledge, if damage came from a recent natural disaster (earthquake, tsunami, windstorm, or wildfire) the owner took reasonable steps to mitigate, or if the tenant's displacement resulted from an eminent domain taking. The director must notify displaced tenants of their potential entitlement at the same time the notice to vacate issues. If the owner fails to pay within the required period, the municipality may advance the relocation funds itself and then pursue repayment from the owner, with civil penalties and possible referral to the municipal prosecutor.

Violations & Fines

If an owner fails to complete relocation payments and the municipality advances the funds to displaced tenants, the municipality assesses civil penalties of $50.00 per day, per tenant advanced funds, once 60 days have passed from the date of the first advance without repayment. If the municipality must sue to recover advanced relocation payments, it is entitled to attorneys' fees and costs from that action. The director may also issue a citation under section 14.30.020 for civil penalties and fines authorized in section 15.05.120.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does an Anchorage landlord owe tenant relocation assistance?

Only after the director reinspects a rental dwelling, finds the violations from an earlier notice still uncorrected, determines the unit unfit for human habitation under section 15.10.180, and posts a notice to vacate. That posting is what triggers the seven-day payment clock under AMC 15.05.060(C)(2).

How much relocation assistance must an Anchorage owner pay?

Two times the tenant's monthly rent, paid within seven calendar days of the notice to vacate, in addition to refunding the tenant's deposit and any prepaid rent in full as required by state law. Each qualifying tenancy in the unit is entitled to its own payment, but only once per tenancy.

Can an Anchorage landlord avoid paying relocation assistance?

Yes, in three situations: the disqualifying violations came from a tenant's or third party's illegal conduct the owner did not know about, the damage resulted from a natural disaster like an earthquake or wildfire that the owner reasonably tried to mitigate, or the tenant's displacement came from an eminent domain taking of the property.

What happens if the owner never pays the relocation assistance?

The municipality can advance the relocation assistance directly to the displaced tenants. If the owner still has not repaid that advance 60 days later, the municipality assesses a civil penalty of $50.00 per day for each tenant it advanced funds to, and can sue to recover the money plus its attorneys' fees and costs.

Sources & Official References

[1]Anchorage Municipal Code § 15.05.060 (eCode360)

Other rules in Anchorage

Repairs & HabitabilitySome Restrictions Rental RegistrationSignificant Restrictions Parking Rules: Preferential Parking DistrictsSome Restrictions Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking RulesSome Restrictions Parking Rules: EV ChargingSome Restrictions Parking Rules: Curb Color RulesSome Restrictions Animal Ordinances: Pet Groomer RulesSome Restrictions Animal Ordinances: Wildlife FeedingSome Restrictions

All Anchorage rules

Compare Anchorage to another location·View the Alaska rental property rules overview

See something wrong?

Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.