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CityRuleLookup

Rental Registration

Rental Property Rules

Requirements for landlords to register rental properties with the city, including inspection programs, fees, and occupancy standards.

7% permissive44% moderate2% strict(403 locations)

How Rental Registration Rules Differ by Place

403 places covered9 strict178 moderate29 permissive

Rental Registration Rules by State

Statewide law governs this topic in many states. Each entry links to that state's full page.

Arkansas

Few Restrictions

Arkansas Act 459 of 2025 strips cities and counties of authority to regulate rental application fees or security deposit amounts on private residential or commercial property, applying…

Connecticut

Some Restrictions

Under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-6, a landlord must give tenants the name and address of the person authorized to manage the property and accept service. Section 47a-6a lets a municipality…

Florida

Some Restrictions

Florida Statute 509.032(7) preempts local regulation of vacation rental bans, duration, and frequency, while FS 83.425 (2023) preempts local regulation of residential tenancies…

Hawaii

Heavy Restrictions

Hawaii requires every operator of a transient accommodation, including short-term vacation rentals statewide, to register with the Department of Taxation, obtain a TAT identification…

Indiana

Some Restrictions

Indiana Code 36-1-20 restricts the scope of local rental inspection and registration programs. Cities may operate registration programs but cannot impose unreasonable fees or inspect…

Iowa

Some Restrictions

Iowa Code 364.3(5) restricts how cities regulate rental manufactured or mobile homes: a city cannot impose registration, licensing, or safety standards on them unless the same…

Missouri

Few Restrictions

Missouri preempts local ordinances that limit landlord tenant screening, source-of-income decisions, security deposit amounts, or right-of-first-refusal rules.

New Jersey

Some Restrictions

All New Jersey residential rental property owners must file a Landlord Identity Registration with the municipality and the Bureau of Housing Inspection under state law.

North Carolina

Few Restrictions

North Carolina restricts cities from requiring residential rental registration, permits, or fees absent a specific qualifying public safety problem.

Ohio

Some Restrictions

Ohio Revised Code 5323.02 requires owners of residential rental property in counties with more than 200,000 residents to file owner contact information with the county auditor, while…

Tennessee

Some Restrictions

Tennessee's Short-Term Rental Unit Act limits how local governments can regulate vacation rentals and grandfathers properties operating before local bans took effect.

Vermont

Some Restrictions

Vermont's rental housing health and safety program moved to the Division of Fire Safety under Act 181 of 2022, codified at 20 V.S.A. chapter 172. Landlords must register rental units…

Virginia

Some Restrictions

Virginia limits municipal rental inspection programs to designated blighted districts and requires specific procedural standards, preempting blanket rental registration ordinances.

Wisconsin

Some Restrictions

Wisconsin Statute 66.0104 bars municipalities from requiring rental registration or licensing and limits inspection programs to designated districts with blight or code problems…

Other Rental Property Rules Topics

Rent Control

Local limits on how much landlords can raise rent each year, including which properties are covered and exemptions for newer buildings.

Just Cause Eviction

Protections requiring landlords to have a valid reason to evict tenants, such as nonpayment of rent, lease violations, or owner move-in.

Relocation Assistance

Required tenant relocation payments for no-fault evictions and Ellis Act withdrawals, typical amounts, qualifying triggers, and how cities enforce payment.

Security Deposit Rules

Caps on how much landlords may collect as security deposits, return deadlines, itemized-deduction requirements, and tenant remedies for wrongfully withheld deposits.

Cash-for-Keys Agreements

Rules around buyout agreements where landlords pay tenants to vacate, including required disclosures, cooling-off periods, and city filing requirements.

No-Fault Evictions

Allowable no-fault eviction grounds (owner move-in, Ellis Act, substantial remodel) and the relocation/notice obligations that come with each.

Pass-Through Charges

Rules limiting landlord ability to pass utility, capital improvement, or seismic-retrofit costs through to rent-controlled tenants, and the petition process.

Tenant Anti-Harassment

Cities like LA prohibit specific landlord conduct (lockouts, utility shutoffs, threats), penalties, private right of action, and how to document violations.

Source-of-Income Discrimination

Rules barring landlords from refusing to rent to applicants because of Section 8 vouchers, SSI, or other lawful income, protected categories and remedies.

Section 8 Voucher Acceptance

Landlord obligations when accepting Housing Choice Vouchers, including HACLA inspection, lease addenda, and rent reasonableness.

Right of Return

Tenant right to re-occupy a unit after no-fault eviction (substantial remodel, owner move-in failure) at original rent, qualifying triggers and notice rules.

AB-1482 Notice Disclosure

California statewide rent-cap and just-cause notices required on month-to-month leases, separate from local RSO disclosures, and how cities enforce them.

Eviction Moratorium History

Status of pandemic-era eviction protections, what sunset, what carries forward as permanent rules, and tenant defenses still available for COVID-rent-debt.

Council District Preference

Local preference policies giving residents of a Council District priority for affordable housing units developed in their district, eligibility and waitlist mechanics.

Just Cause Appeal Process

How tenants and landlords appeal Just Cause eviction determinations, administrative hearing procedures, evidence rules, and judicial review.

Mold Disclosure

Landlord obligations to disclose known mold conditions before lease signing, plus tenant remedies when mold is discovered or made worse during a tenancy.

Rent Increase Notice

How much advance written notice a landlord must give before raising the rent on a month-to-month or expiring lease, and how state notice rules differ from any local rent-control caps.

Landlord Entry & Notice

How much advance notice a landlord must give before entering an occupied unit, the permitted reasons (repairs, showings, inspections), allowed hours, and the emergency exceptions under…

Repairs & Habitability

The implied warranty of habitability, how long a landlord has to fix essential services (heat, water, plumbing, mold), and tenant remedies such as repair-and-deduct, rent withholding…

Late Fees & Grace Periods

Whether late rent fees are capped, any required grace period before a fee can be charged, and limits on bounced-check (NSF) and other add-on charges under state law.

Lease Termination & Notice to Vacate

Notice required to end a month-to-month tenancy, the rules and penalties for breaking a fixed-term lease early, and early-termination protections for active-duty military…

Eviction Notice & Process

The notice a landlord must give before filing to evict, pay-or-quit and cure-or-quit periods, no-cause termination notice, how long the court eviction process takes in this state, and…

Squatter's Rights & Adverse Possession

When an occupant without a lease gains legal protections, the line between a trespasser and a squatter, how many years of continuous possession adverse possession requires in this…