Pontiac, MI Rental Property Rules: Rental Registration (2026)

City Code Section 22-801 creates the registry of owners and premises that the Department of Building Safety maintains for Pontiac's one- and two-family rental housing stock. Registration is required whenever a one- or two-family dwelling is occupied by someone other than the titled owner, whether that occupancy comes from a lease, a rental agreement, a land contract, or another arrangement, evidenced for example by a homestead exemption declared at less than 100 percent of the property's value. Registering owners must supply their name and place of residence or business, a Social Security or taxpayer identification number, a state identification number, the name of the tenant, and the property's location; if an agent manages the property, the agent must supply the same identifying information.

A fee is due at the time of registration, and the registration stays valid until something changes. The code sets a hard deadline for updates: within 60 days after a change of ownership or a change of managing agent, the new owner or agent must reregister with the Department in the same manner as the original filing. Owners who miss a registration deadline face a $25.00 late fee per rental unit, assessed every month the registration remains unpaid. Section 22-801(c) carves out one exemption: a property is exempt from the registration requirement if a land contract naming the occupant is recorded with the Oakland County Register of Deeds, since that recorded instrument already identifies who lives there. This registration is a prerequisite that feeds directly into Pontiac's rental inspection and certificate-of-compliance program administered under the same chapter.