- 2. The city has not received any zoning or property maintenance complaints about the subject property during the twelve (12) months immediately prior to the most recent change of tenant; and
- 3. The property owner is otherwise in compliance with all requirements of this Property Maintenance Code, including but not limited to the timely provision of Tenant Information forms with each change of tenant at the property.
F. If the owner, occupant, or agent thereof does not consent to the proposed inspection, the code official may appear before any judge in a court of competent jurisdiction and seek an administrative search warrant to allow an inspection. Any such application shall be made within ten (10) calendar days after the nonconsent. The application for the warrant shall specify the basis upon which the warrant is being sought and shall include a statement that the inspection will be limited to a determination whether there are violations of the code provisions identified in this section. The court may consider any of the following factors along with such other matters as it deems pertinent in its decision as to whether a warrant shall issue:
- 1. Eyewitness account of violation;
- 2. Citizen complaints;
- 3. Tenant complaints;
- 4. Plain view violations;
- 5. Violations apparent from city records;
- 6. Property deterioration;
- 7. Age of property;
- 8. Nature of alleged violation;
- 9. Condition of similar properties in the area;
- 10. Documented violations on similar properties in the area;
- 11. Passage of time since last inspection;
- 12. Previous violations on the property.
If a warrant is issued, no owner, occupant, or agent thereof shall fail or neglect, upon presentation of a warrant, to properly permit entry therein by the code official or his/her duly authorized designee for the purpose of inspection and examination pursuant to this section and consistent with the terms of the warrant. If the court declines to issue a warrant, or if no warrant is sought, the inspection shall still take place but the scope thereof shall be limited to such areas as are in plain view. A limited-scope inspection conducted pursuant to this paragraph shall be considered an “inspection” for all purposes of the pre-sale inspection program set forth in this section. No criminal penalty shall attach, nor shall any certificate of occupancy be denied, solely by reason of the owner’s, occupant’s, or agent’s refusal to consent to a full inspection.
A certificate of occupancy signed by the code official shall be evidence that the premises complies with the requirements of this code and all other applicable ordinances, provided however, that if a limited-scope inspection is conducted pursuant to subsection E above, the certificate of occupancy shall note that fact and shall not constitute evidence of code compliance as to any uninspected portions of the premises. If the inspection disclosed aspects of the property not in compliance, the certificate shall be merely a conditional certificate of occupancy. The condition shall be that the defective aspects of the premises must be brought into compliance with this code within such reasonable length of time as may be set forth in the certificate.