RENTAL REGISTRATION PROGRAM

Jackson Code of Ordinances ch. 26, art. XII

in effect

Jackson Code of Ordinances § 26-521 Purpose and authority.

Sec. 26-521. - Purpose and authority. The purpose of this article is to establish a registration requirement for owners of rental housing units to protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public insofar as they are affected by the maintenance of said units and the occupancy thereof. The purpose shall be accomplished by requiring rental housing units to be registered and inspected. This article shall be construed to secure this express intent. The department of planning and development will be responsible for the administration and enforcement of this article. (Ord. No. 2026-1(6), 12-2-25)

Jackson Code of Ordinances § 26-522 Definitions.

Sec. 26-522. - Definitions. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following words and phrases as used in this article shall have the following meanings: Certificate of compliance: A document provided by the department to an owner after the owner has registered, paid the applicable fees, and passed all required inspections hereunder that permits the owner to operate as provided for hereunder. Department: The Rental Registration Division of the City of Jackson's Planning and Development Department. Managing agent: An individual or entity designated in writing by the owner to act on behalf of the owner and to respond reasonably to contact made by department officials on a 24-hour basis. The property manager of a multifamily unit is assumed to be acting as a managing agent. Multifamily unit: A residential building that contains two or more attached dwelling units. Owner: The individual or corporate owner of a property with one or more rental housing units or a managing agent for the property. For corporate entities, the term owner refers to the corporation, company, or partnership as opposed to individual shareholders, members, or parties. Property maintenance standards: The provisions of the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code, as currently adopted by the City of Jackson, and as may be amended in the future, together with any other property maintenance requirements applicable to rental housing adopted by the Jackson City Council. Registration: The act of an owner to provide the department with information about the owner's rental housing operations necessary to facilitate the department's identification of the owner's rental housing units and the inspections required hereunder. Renewal or renewal registration: The act of an owner to confirm and/or to update the department with information about the owner's rental housing operations on the timelines set forth herein. Rental housing unit: Any dwelling, dwelling unit, or part thereof, including, but not limited to, any single-family housing unit, duplex, triplex, quadruplex, multifamily unit, apartment, condominium, rooming house, or boarding house. Tenant: A person occupying a rental housing unit pursuant to a written or oral agreement. (Ord. No. 2026-1(6), 12-2-25)

Jackson Code of Ordinances § 26-523 Applicability.

Sec. 26-523. - Applicability. (a) The registration fees, renewal fees, and inspection provisions of this article shall apply to all rental housing units except: (1) Rental housing units that a government entity or housing authority owns, operates or manages; and (2) Institutional dormitories; (3) Rental housing units that receive funding or subsidies from federal, state, or local government provided the units are subject to federal, state, or local inspections. This exemption is intended to apply to those properties whose good condition is already being verified pursuant to other governmental programs, such as properties participating in federal housing programs that are subject to the inspections standards and timelines established by 24 C.F.R. § 5.701 et seq. On written request of the department, the owner shall, within 30 days, provide satisfactory documentation verifying the owner's rental housing unit and/or property participates in a qualifying program and is subject to inspections thereunder, failing which the department may revoke the owner's exemption, notify the owner of its intent to inspect the owner's units, and require the owner pay all fees applicable to non-exempt units and properties. (b) The department reserves the right to inspect properties otherwise exempt upon reasonable information and belief that specific units at such properties are in violation of property maintenance standards, in which case such units will be subject to the inspection processes and fees specified hereunder. (Ord. No. 2026-1(6), 12-2-25)

Jackson Code of Ordinances § 26-524 Registration requirements/renewal requirements.

Sec. 26-524. - Registration requirements/renewal requirements. (a) Owners must provide the following information in order to register or renew the registration of rental properties and units: (1) The legal name, physical address and mailing address of the owner of a rental housing unit. Proof of ownership may be required if the information provided differs from Hinds County records; (2) The owner's privilege license, if any. Whether or not the owner already has a privilege license will not delay the department's processing of the owner's registration or renewal registration. (3) The address of an owner's rental housing property or unit, the number of rental housing units at each address, and the individual unit numbers, if any; (4) The name, address, phone number and email address of an individual local agent authorized to act on behalf of the owner with respect to each of the owner's properties and rental units; (5) Such other information deemed necessary by the department to enable the department to identify the owner's rental units and to perform the required inspections hereunder; and (6) Such other information deemed necessary by the department to enable it to verify that the owner, and the owner's rental properties and units, comply with laws, rules and regulations that promote the health and safety of the rental housing tenants in the City of Jackson. (b) If there is a change of circumstances that result in a change of information provided by the owner during registration, or renewal registration, the owner must provide such updated information to the department within 30 days of the change. (c) Owners who have not previously registered their rental housing units, including owners of new units and new owners of existing units, must register as follows: (1) A new owner of rental housing units must register with the department within 90 days of taking ownership. Such owner must register each unit even if it was registered by a prior owner. If the unit has been inspected within the last six months under a previous owner and the tenant has not changed, the inspection requirement may be waived; (2) The owner of a newly constructed rental housing unit, or an existing dwelling that was not previously rented, must register such unit with the department before renting the unit; and (3) All other owners must register unregistered rental housing units on or before October 11, 2025. (d) A property manager or other managing agent hereunder may register, or renew the registration of all rental housing units under management without the owner having to register the same properties and units. (e) No owner may permit occupancy of a rental housing unit by a tenant after the deadline for registering that unit or after the deadline for renewing the registration of that unit. An owner registering or renewing the registration of a rental housing unit is authorized to permit occupancy of such unit until the department makes a final decision on whether to issue a certificate of compliance hereunder. (Ord. No. 2026-1(6), 12-2-25)

Jackson Code of Ordinances § 26-525 Inspection requirements.

Sec. 26-525. - Inspection requirements. (a) The department will inspect an owner's rental housing units after the owner registers its units and again after the owner renews the registration of its units. If the owner has five or fewer rental housing units, the department will inspect one unit. If an owner has more than five rental housing units, the department will inspect no more than 20 percent of an owner's units. However, if the department finds no violations of section 26-525(d)(1) through (9) in the first ten percent of units inspected, the department may issue certificates of compliance for the rest of the owner's units without conducting additional inspections. The department will conduct the same number of inspections based on the number of rental units under management if a property manager or other managing agent qualifying as owner hereunder registers or renews the registration of rental units under management. (b) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in section 26-525(a), the department may inspect additional units of an owner upon finding violations of property maintenance standards affecting the present habitability of a rental housing unit during a required inspection hereunder. (c) The department will notify the owner and managing agent, in writing, of the individual units that are set to be inspected at least 14 calendar days' prior to the date of the inspections so that the owner may notify the affected tenants. (d) Without limiting the department's right to inspect for other violations of property maintenance standards, the department will verify that each inspected unit complies with the following: (1) The address of the rental property and/or rental unit must be visible; (2) All electric outlets in the rental unit must have proper covers; (3) There will be no visible defects in the roof, ceiling, floors, walls or exterior doors of a rental unit due to improper maintenance by the owner; (4) There will be an unexpired fire extinguisher located in the kitchen of the rental unit; (5) There will be a working smoke detector in each bedroom of a rental unit and each path of egress from the unit; (6) There will be no visible rodents or other infestations; (7) The exterior breaker box for the rental unit must be secured and covered, and any interior breaker box must be secured in a manner that complies with manufacturer safety requirements; (8) All exterior entrances to the crawlspace of a rental unit, if any, must be secured and covered; and (9) There will be no active plumbing leaks in the rental unit. (e) The department will issue a certificate of compliance for units that pass inspection and for units that are not required to be inspected under this article. In each certificate, the department will designate the rental housing units to which it applies. The department may, but is not required to, issue one certificate of compliance covering all rental units in an owner's entire portfolio or all rental units at a multi-unit property. (f) The department must, within ten days of a failed inspection, notify the owner in writing of the deficiencies. The department will give the owner 45 days to address the deficiencies before the department re-inspects. If the deficiencies require a building permit to satisfy the requirements of this section, the owner must apply for a building permit within seven calendar days. The 45-day period will begin tolling upon the issuance of a building permit by the department. The department may inspect a failed unit earlier if the owner notifies the department that the identified deficiencies have been addressed. If, after four inspections, the department finds that the owner has not remedied the violations of the property maintenance standards, the department may elect to deny the owner a certificate of compliance. (g) If the owner or tenant of any rental housing unit refuses entry upon request of the department to carry out inspections under this article, the city will apply to the appropriate judicial officer for a warrant based on constitutional standards in effect at the time of the application. No city official will enter a rental housing unit to carry out an inspection under this article without consent, lawful warrant, or other legal authority. (Ord. No. 2026-1(6), 12-2-25)

Jackson Code of Ordinances § 26-526 Certificate of compliance, renewal.

Sec. 26-526. - Certificate of compliance, renewal. (a) Owners receiving a certificate of compliance are authorized to operate all units designated in the certificate for one year from the date the department issues the certificate. The department may, but is not required to, establish a single renewal registration deadline for an owner of multiple properties or multiple rental housing units to avoid an owner having multiple renewal registration deadlines. (b) Owners must apply to renew the registration of rental units, and pay the renewal fees, at least 30 calendar days before an active certificate of compliance expires. Timely renewing the registration of rental units is the responsibility of the owner. (c) When a tenant has been lawfully evicted, the owner shall properly dispose of or otherwise remove any personal property or trash left on the curb within five business days. (Ord. No. 2026-1(6), 12-2-25)

Jackson Code of Ordinances § 26-527 Fees.

Sec. 26-527. - Fees. Single-family home, new registration fee | $50.00; maximum of $2,000.00 per owner Single-family home, inspection fee | $50.00 per unit inspected Single-family home, renewal registration fee | $50.00; maximum of $2,000.00 per owner Single-family home, inspection fee | $50.00 per unit inspected Multi-family, new registration fee | $50.00 per property Multi-family, inspection fee | $25.00 per unit inspected Multi-family, renewal fee | $50.00 per property Multi-family, inspection fee | $25.00 per unit inspected Re-inspection fees (after corrections made) | $50.00 per unit Inspection fees will not be refunded if, after inspections have begun, the department elects to limit the number of inspections to ten percent of an owner's units upon finding those inspected in good condition pursuant to section 26-525(a). Should ownership or management change, registration fees will not be refunded beyond 90 days from the payment date. (Ord. No. 2026-1(6), 12-2-25)

Jackson Code of Ordinances § 26-528 Enforcement and penalties.

Sec. 26-528. - Enforcement and penalties. Failure to register rental unit by deadline, per unit .....$250.00 Failure to timely renew registration of rental unit, per unit .....$250.00 Unauthorized occupancy without certificate of compliance, per unit .....$500.00 Failure to remove evicted tenant's property as required under section 26-526(c) .....$500.00 An owner who knowingly submits false information to the department about the ownership and operations of a rental housing property or unit in connection with the initial registration or renewal registrations shall, after notice and a reasonable time to correct said information, pay a fine not exceeding $1,000.00. Each day thereafter in which the owner fails to correct such false information shall constitute a separate offense punishable by a separate fine pursuant to sections 21-13-1 and 21-17-5, Mississippi Code of 1972, or other statutes. Owner falsification of information provided to the department may be subject to additional fines and penalties pursuant to laws, regulations and ordinances outside of this article. An owner is subject to all other penalties pursuant to the 2018 International Property Maintenance Code, as adopted by the City of Jackson, and as may be amended in the future, and any other remedies available to the city to correct the condition giving rise to violations of property maintenance standards. (Ord. No. 2026-1(6), 12-2-25)

Jackson Code of Ordinances § 26-529 Severability.

Sec. 26-529. - Severability. If any section, subsection or clause of this article shall be deemed to be unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the validity of the remaining sections, subsections, and clauses shall not be affected. (Ord. No. 2026-1(6), 12-2-25)

Jackson Code of Ordinances § 26-530 Appeal.

Sec. 26-530. - Appeal. (a) Any owner denied a certificate of compliance by the department after a fourth unsatisfactory inspection may appeal the department's decision in writing to the director of the planning and development department or their designee. The director or their designee will have the authority to conduct another inspection to verify the condition of the unit in order to resolve the appeal. If the director or their designee declines to give the owner any relief when deciding the appeal, the director or their designee will issue a written decision on the appeal and provide the owner with a copy of the written decision. The director's written decision will be issued within 45 days. An owner still aggrieved by the decision may appeal that decision in writing to the city council within 30 days of the decision. (b) Any owner aggrieved by any other decision of the department, including its interpretation of this article, may appeal in writing to the director of the planning and development department or their designee within 30 days of the department's decision. If the director or their designee declines to give the owner any relief when deciding the appeal, the director or their designee will issue a written decision on the appeal and provide the owner with a copy of the written decision. An owner still aggrieved by the decision may appeal that decision in writing to the city council within 30 days of the decision. (c) An owner may continue to operate its rental units while an appeal to the director of the planning and development or their designee filed under this article is pending unless doing so would, in the opinion of the director or their designee, present a clear and substantial threat to the health and safety of the tenants residing in the owner's units. (Ord. No. 2026-1(6), 12-2-25)

Source: City of Jackson, Mississippi, Code of Ordinances (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ms/jackson/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH26BUBURE_ARTXIIREREPRFetched: 11/1/2026