Council Bluffs, IA Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

CBMC § 17.09.020 requires every owner or operator of rental property to register each rental dwelling unit with the Building Official, using a written or electronic application form that lists the property's street address, the number of rental units, and the name, address, phone number and email of the owner and any agent. Registration runs on a calendar-year cycle, effective January 1 through December 31, and a lapsing registration can only be renewed between December 1 and December 31 of the current period, not sooner.

Newly constructed rental housing must register within thirty calendar days of the certificate of occupancy, a rental property that changes ownership must re-register within thirty days of the transfer or its recording, and a roominghouse must register within fourteen days after its license expires. Missing a registration deadline does not excuse the duty to register: for every thirty days or part of a month the registration remains overdue during the first ninety days, the city adds a late fee under the current schedule of fees, and after ninety days both the registration fee itself increases and, if the unit is still being rented, the owner or operator is cited and pays a separate non-registration fee.

Once the application and fee are received, the city issues a certification of registration establishing the property as compliant until it is inspected for a certificate of compliance under CBMC § 17.09.035. No landlord may rent or advertise a dwelling, dwelling unit or rooming unit for rent unless it is currently registered with the city, and the Building Official keeps the master list of registered rental properties on file.