Residential Rental Inspection Program
Stockton Police Department - Neighborhood Services Unit
Inspections of all residential rental units throughout the city of Stockton are mandatory and must comply with Stockton Municipal Code, Section 8.32 - Residential Rental Unit Inspection and Maintenance. The purpose of the Ordinance is to proactively identify blighted and deteriorated housing and ensure the rehabilitation or elimination of housing that does not meet minimum building or housing code standards and/or exterior or site maintenance standards. It is the goal of this program to create a healthy, safe, and crime-free environment, and further preserve and enhance the quality of life for residents living in residential rental units within the city of Stockton.
The Neighborhood Services Unit has a four-year program to begin enforcement of the Residential Rental Inspection Ordinance that began in December 2006. All residential units within the city of Stockton will be inspected at least once every four years by City of Stockton Neighborhood Services Section. In 2010, year 4 of the program, approximately 8,400 property owners received packets. This mailing was sent to rental properties located south of Harding Way to French Camp Road, east of Rough and Ready Island, west of Highway 99, and north of Arch Road. Please note the numbers on the map correspond to the months of the year, when the properties may be inspected, (i.e., 1 = January, 2 = February, etc.).
The inspections are conducted in all areas associated with the rental property including, but not limited to:
- Parking lots
- Driveways
- Landscaping
- Accessory structures
- Fences
- Walls
- Swimming pools, hot tubs, and spas
Hotels, motels, bed and breakfast businesses, and similar occupancies are exempt from the Ordinance. Newly constructed multi-family residential units of four or more units are exempt for a period of five years from the date the Building Permit is finalized by the City of Stockton Building Division. Subsidized residential rental units are also exempt when they are inspected and pass an annual inspection by a governmental agency.
The map indicates with areas will be inspected by program years. A larger and printable version of the map is available on the web site: Residential Rental Inspection Map.
- The pink area is Quadrant 1 and those properties were inspected in 2007
- The blue area is Quadrant 2 and those properties will be inspected in 2008
- The yellow area is Quadrant 3 and those properties will be inspected in 2009
- The green area is Quadrant 4 and those properties will be inspected in 2010
The Rental Inspection Ordinance allows for a self-certification of qualified properties. The property owner or designated management entity inspects the property and certifies under penalty of perjury that the property meets the minimum code requirements as listed on the Residential Rental Inspection Program Self-Certification Affidavit from the documents link on the left side of this page.
The self-certification option benefits the property owner through reduced fees and fewer on-site inspections by City inspectors. Property owners who do not wish to participate in the Self-Certification Program will receive a Notice of Intent to Inspect at least 21 days prior to the inspection date.
Where code violations are identified at the initial inspection, property owners will be given adequate time to correct the deficiencies, which will depend on the nature and number of violations. Normal compliance time ranges from 10 to 30 days. However, where a dangerous condition is found to exist, (e.g., hazardous electrical wiring or lack of adequate sanitation), corrections may have to be completed within 24 to 48 hours and, in rare cases, compliance procedures may result in the premises being vacated, utility services disconnected, and tenants relocated at the owner's expense until all violations have been abated.
If you need additional information, please visit the Contact Us page from the link on the left.
External Links
Stockton Municipal Code 8.32 - Residential Rental Unit Inspection and Maintenance
This City of Stockton webpage last reviewed on --- 5/13/2011