When permission is granted by the tenant or person in possession of a property, the city will inspect non-owner occupied single family, two family, and owner occupied dwellings with more than two boarders or roomers unrelated to the owner. These inspections are intended to ensure the quality of rental housing units, to protect the health and safety of the occupants of these units and to protect the value of these properties for landowners.

The inspections ensure compliance with the City of Newark’s Code, which adopts in large part the national standards of the International Property Maintenance Code. This code, issued by the International Code Council, is intended to, “ensure public health, safety and welfare insofar as they are affected by the continued occupancy and maintenance of structures and premises.”

How Inspections Work

The exterior of the premises is inspected annually by the city’s property maintenance inspectors for International Property Maintenance Code Compliance. Provided that permission is granted by the tenant or person in possession of the property, the interior of the property will also be inspected on an annual basis, prior to the approval of the rental license.

Please note that in this regard, that tenants may request or reject an interior inspection. A form is available in the Code Enforcement Division for tenants to use in this regard. Voluntary participation with the rental inspection program is encouraged, as the purpose of the program is to ensure safe living conditions for our tenants.

More Information

If you have any questions concerning this program, please contact code enforcement manager Stephanie Petersen at (302) 366-7000.