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

City of Warren Code of Ordinances Sec. 28-13(a) bars anyone from renting, leasing, offering to rent or lease, or occupying a rental dwelling or rental dwelling unit without a current rental license from the Rental Inspections Division; the general chapter 18 business-licensing rules do not apply to rental property. Occupancy by anyone other than the owner of record is presumed to require a license, a presumption rebuttable only by proof of at least 25 percent ownership equity via a recorded deed or land contract (Sec.

28-13(b)). Before a license issues, the applicant must submit a rental division application, pass a biennial inspection with all violations corrected or council-waived, and pay all application, renewal, lock-out, and cancelled-inspection fees. The division will not issue a license until every city debt is cleared: prior property taxes, current or past-due special assessments, outstanding water or sewer bills, and mowing, cleanup, weed, or debris charges against the property (Sec. 28-13(c)). A renewal license runs two years from the prior license's expiration; a first-time license runs two years from the application date, and it terminates automatically on transfer of ownership (Sec.

28-13(d)). Separately, Sec. 28-14 treats registration of a rental property as an application for a license and an admission that the owner is conducting a rental operation; owners of previously registered rentals holding a valid certificate of compliance had to obtain a license before that certificate expired, and the application fee is never refundable. Conditional licenses of up to 120 days (extendable 60 days) are available under Sec. 28-15 when outstanding work does not threaten health or safety, subject to a $500 cash bond.