What Will Be Inspected?
Our
inspectors will be looking for compliance with the city’s Property
Maintenance Code, which addresses maintenance and safety issues. The
following list is a general guide to the types of items that will be
checked by our inspectors:
Plumbing:
- Water distribution system must be in good repair and free of leaks.
- All waste lines must be in good repair and properly vented.
- Bathrooms must be vented by a window or fan discharging directly to the outside.
- Plumbing fixtures such as faucets, sinks and toilets must be free of leaks.
- All faucets (except bathtub) must be equipped with a water shut-off valve.
Interior:
- Interior drywall must be in good repair, properly taped and painted
or covered with other approved materials (wallpaper, paneling, etc.).
- Stairs must be equipped with handrails.
- Floors must be sound and free of holes. Floor covering must be in good repair and free of tripping hazards.
- Each residence must be equipped with one smoke detector on each floor, one in each bedroom and one outside bedroom areas.
Electric:
- Electric service must be large enough to meet the demand placed upon it.
- There must be no double lugging (two circuits coming off the same breaker).
- Service panels must be properly mounted and grounded to the building water service by a connection to the cold water side.
- Each branch circuit must be properly fused or served by a circuit breaker.
- Each air conditioning compressor must be equipped with a disconnect.
- Each electrical outlet near a wet location must be protected with a GFI outlet.
- All bathrooms must have at least one GFCI receptacle.
- All splices must be made inside a junction box. No open splices will be approved.
Exterior:
- Foundation walls must be straight, in good repair, free from open cracks and able to support the loads placed upon them.
- Structural elements must be sound.
- Exterior walls must be free of holes, breaks, loose/rotting boards and peeling paint.
- Roofs must be structurally sound, tight, leakproof and drained so
water is carried away from the building and discharged without
affecting neighboring property.
- Chimneys, decks, stairs and porches must be sound and in good
repair. Decks must be equipped with guardrails. Stairs from decks must
be equipped with handrails.
- Windows and door openings must be weathertight. Glass must be in good repair. Every opening must be properly caulked.
- Every exterior faucet must be equipped with a hose bibb vacuum breaker.
- Driveways must be paved with asphalt or concrete.
- Yard areas must be covered with vegetation to prevent erosion. Grass must be well-kept.
Miscellaneous:
- Furnaces must be in good repair, properly wired and properly
vented. Each blower must be protected by a clean and serviceable
filter. Gas furnaces must be equipped with a gas shut-off valve.
- Water heaters must be properly vented and equipped with a pressure
relief valve connected to a drip tube extending to within six inches of
the floor. Water heaters must be equipped with a shut-off valve.
- In-ground swimming pools must be surrounded by a four-foot fence in
compliance with current property maintenance code. All pool wiring must
meet the requirements of the National Electric Code.
- Fireplaces must be properly vented. Fire boxes and flues must be
kept clean and free of obstructions. The area 20 inches on all sides of
a fire box must be noncombustible. Manufactured fireplaces must bear
the seal of a recognized testing agency. Smoke dampers must be
operable.
- Attics must be vented, either by openings at the eave, at the top of the gable or by mechanical means.
- Buildings should be free from insect infestation.