Cleveland, OH Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)
Key Facts
- Registration deadline
- Annually by March 1
- Registration fee
- $70 per unit, capped at $30,000/owner/year
- Local Agent in Charge
- Must reside in Cuyahoga or a contiguous county
- Late renewal fee
- $100 added to base fee
- Revocation fine
- $100 per revocation, $30,000/year cap
- Violation penalty
- First-degree misdemeanor, § 367.99(d)
Summary
Every owner of a non-owner-occupied unit in Cleveland must annually register it with the Director of Building and Housing by March 1 and obtain a Certificate Approving Rental Occupancy before renting. Codified Ordinances § 365.02 sets the registration process; § 365.03 sets a $70 per-unit fee.
(a) Non-Owner-Occupied Residential Unit Registration Required. An owner of a non-owner-occupied residential unit or units located in the City shall apply to register each unit in a manner prescribed in writing by the Director... Such an owner, before renting such a unit, shall obtain a Certificate Approving Rental Occupancy. ... § 365.03 Rental Registration Fee (a) An application for a certificate of non-owner-occupied residential unit registration shall be accompanied by a nonrefundable fee for each non-owner-occupied residential unit of seventy dollars ($70.00) for each residential rental unit.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-28: Current through legislation passed September 1, 2026).
Full Breakdown
02(b). The application must list the owner's contact information (or, for a corporation, its statutory agent and officers) plus a Local Agent in Charge, a person at least 18 who accepts responsibility for the property's maintenance and management and who must live in Cuyahoga County or a contiguous county unless the owner is a natural person who already lives there. 02(d), issued only after the Director confirms lead-safe certification status, resolution of any outstanding Notices of Violation, current property tax standing, no delinquent City fines, and, for buildings of four or more units, a licensed HVAC inspection and active utility accounts.
03(a), nonrefundable, with no single owner paying more than $30,000 citywide per calendar year; a lapsed certificate can be renewed for the base fee plus a $100 late fee. The Director must be notified in writing within seven days of any change to the owner's or Local Agent's contact information.
Violations & Fines
Failing to register, or leasing without a Certificate Approving Rental Occupancy, is itself a first-degree misdemeanor under § 367.99(d), which specifically lists § 365.02 violations, with each day counted separately. The Director may also revoke a registration or occupancy certificate for false statements or noncompliance, triggering a $100 fine per revocation (capped at $30,000 per owner per year), and certificates won't be reissued while any fee or fine remains unpaid.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cleveland
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Rental Registration in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Cuyahoga County handle rental registration.