Rental Housing Division

Property Maintenance Ordinance

In 1994, Pittsfield Charter Township Board of Trustees adopted the "Property Maintenance Ordinance of Pittsfield Charter Township" under Ordinance No. 229. The Ordinance was replaced in 2007 with Ordinance No. 273 which adopted the 2006 International Property Maintenance Code with amendments as the official code governing the Housing Department. The 2012 International Property Maintenance Code was adopted in 2015 under Ordinance No. 317.

Ordinance Requirements

The Ordinance requires the following:

  1. All rental dwelling units / structures (except for single-family, owner-occupied dwellings) must be registered with the Township Building Services Department. Receipt of the completed registration form(s), along with the payment of the associated fee, will allow for the temporary occupancy of the dwelling unit(s) until an inspection can be completed.
  2. All rental dwelling units must complete a biennial Property Maintenance Rental Housing Inspection. Each unit must be inspected and approved in order to receive a Certificate of Compliance.
  3. Certificates of Compliance for rental dwelling units will expire two years after the date of issue and must be renewed in order to continue legal occupancy.
  4. Certificates of Compliance for commercial structures will terminate upon a change of occupancy or use and will be reissued after an inspection indicates compliance with this Ordinance.
  5. The building safety official and/or designee may revoke a Certificate of Compliance if an inspection reveals violations of this Ordinance.

A Property Registration Form must be completed and the registration fee for a rental property of $50 must be paid within 30 days of the property being designated as rental and/or there is an ownership change. If this fee is not paid, an unregistered rental violation fee of $150 will be applied.

In addition to the required biennial Certificate of Compliance inspection, the lease holder may file a request for inspection, under the Property Maintenance Code, by completing a Tenant Request for Inspection form and paying the applicable fee.