Stockton Police Department

Neighborhood Services -
Rental Inspection Ordinance

(209) 937-8813

On January 31, 2006, the Stockton City Council adopted Ordinance 003-06 regarding residential rental inspections, establishing a mandatory code compliance section for all rental units throughout the city of Stockton. The purpose of the Ordinance is to proactively identify blighted and deteriorated housing stock 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.

Neighborhood Services rolled out a four-year program, enforcing the Residential Rental Inspection Ordinance beginning in December 2006. During year 2 (2008), 4,448 property owners will receive packets. This mailing will be sent to rental properties located south of March Lane to McGaw Street, east of the Deep Water Channel, west of Highway 99, and north of Harding Way, including properties west of Center Street and North of Washington Street (use this link or click on the map below to enlarge). Please note the numbers on the map correspond to the months in 2008, when the properties may be inspected, (i.e., 1 + January 2, = February, etc.).

All residential units within the city of Stockton shall be inspected at least once every four years by City of Stockton staff from the Neighborhood Services Section. The inspections will be conducted in all areas associated with the rental property including 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 (four or more) 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.

Following is a map depicting the quadrants of properties to be inspected for Years 2007 through 2010 (use this link or click on map below to enlarge [pdf]).

- 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 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 Maintenance Standard Checklist.

The self-certification option benefits the property owner through reduced fees and fewer onsite inspections by City staff (see Fee Schedule). 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 as a result of 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.

For additional information, contact the Neighborhood Services Section of the Stockton Police Department, at (209) 937-8813.