BY CASSANDRA JENKINS & ARIEL WORTHY
Apartment inspection program passes Houston City Council members unanimously approved an amendment to the city’s code of ordinances May 6 that officially establishes an apartment inspection program intended to address unsafe living conditions and repeat offenders across multifamily units. About the program Former council member Letitia Plummer orig- inally proposed the ordinance in July 2025. Since then, city officials and council members have gone back and forth to tweak the ordinance and receive feedback from residents and property owners. The final ordinance approved establishes a High-Risk Rental Building Program to identify and address certain properties through enhanced reg- istration, inspection and enforcement measures, according to the agenda item. Specifically, the ordinance establishes criteria
Properties with 10 or more citations within six months will be required to register in the program. Violations can include:
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Nonfunctional smoke detectors, fire alarms or sprinkler systems Failure to maintain or obtain a valid certificate of occupancy
1 Houston to consider repealing cam- paign finance rule Houston City Council will revisit its campaign finance reimbursement ordinance to decide whether or not to eliminate the city’s campaign loan repayment caps. 2 Houston residents can now register online to speak at City Hall City Council approved an ordinance May 20 that will add online registration as an option to sign up to speak during council meetings during the public comment session. 3 Abbie Kamin reflects on time as Houston City Council member District C council member Abbie Kamin’s last day on the council was May 27, which also marked the day the election winner Joe Panzarella took his seat.
Inadequate sanitation, plumbing or waste disposal
Any other condition indicating neglect, inadequate maintenance of threat to the welfare of occupants or the public
Fines can range from $500 to $2,000 per day for each violation.
SOURCE: CITY OF HOUSTON/COMMUNITY IMPACT
for the designation of high-risk rental buildings, requires registration and inspection of designated properties, provides enforcement mechanisms and penalties for noncompliance and creates procedures for appeals, ownership transfers and repeat offenders.
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