For AI agents: read the machine-readable documentation index at /llms.txt or the single-file full reference at /llms-full.txt.
Form a Business

REGISTRATION AND INSPECTION OF RENTAL PROPERTIES AND CONDOMINIUMS.

Dallas City Code ch. 27, art. VII
in effect

Dallas City Code § 27-29 AUTHORITY OF DIRECTOR.

SEC. 27-29. AUTHORITY OF DIRECTOR. The director shall implement and enforce this article and may by written order establish such rules, regulations, or procedures, not inconsistent with this article, as the director determines are necessary to discharge any duty under or to effect the policy of this article. (Ord. Nos. 22205; 22695; 24481; 25522; 30236)

Dallas City Code § 27-30 REGISTRATION AND POSTING REQUIREMENTS; DEFENSES.

SEC. 27-30. REGISTRATION AND POSTING REQUIREMENTS; DEFENSES. (a) The owner of a rental property located in the city commits an offense if he operates the rental property or otherwise allows a dwelling unit in a rental property to be occupied or leased without first submitting a rental registration application or annual renewal application that fully complies with Section 27-31 of this article. (b) A condominium association commits an offense if it governs, operates, manages, or oversees a condominium or its common elements without first submitting a registration application or annual renewal application that fully complies with Section 27-31 of this article. (c) A person commits an offense if he, as a landlord or property manager, allows a dwelling unit in a rental property to be occupied or leased without first submitting a rental registration application or annual renewal application that fully complies with Section 27-31 of this article. (d) A person commits an offense if he, as an owner, landlord, or property manager of a multitenant property or condominium association, fails to post, in a conspicuous place in a common area of the property or as otherwise approved by the director, the certificate of inspection score issued by the director. (e) A person commits an offense if he, as an owner, landlord, or property manager of a multitenant property, fails to provide each tenant, upon request, with a copy of the rules of the multitenant property. (f) A person commits an offense if he, as an owner, landlord, or property manager of a multitenant property, operates that property or otherwise allows a dwelling unit in that property to be occupied or leased without employing a full-time manager to oversee the day-to-day operations of the property, if the property has 12 or more units. (g) It is a defense to prosecution under this section that: (1) at the time of notice of violation, no dwelling units in the rental property are leased or offered for lease and the owner of the rental property has filed with the director an exemption affidavit on a form provided by the director; (2) at the time of the notice of violation, the only tenants living in the single dwelling unit rental property are individuals related to the owner by consanguinity or affinity; (3) at the time of the notice of violation, the owner of a single dwelling unit rental property had a homestead exemption for the property on file with the county appraisal district in which the rental property is located; or (4) at the time of the notice of violation: (A) the property was registered as a short-term rental in accordance with Chapter 42B; and (B) applicable hotel occupancy taxes levied on the property under Articles V and VII of Chapter 44 had been collected and remitted in full. (Ord. Nos. 22205; 22695; 24481; 25522; 30236; 32058; 32473; 33224)

Dallas City Code § 27-31 REGISTRATION; FEES; RENEWAL.

SEC. 27-31. REGISTRATION; FEES; RENEWAL. (a) Rental properties and condominium associations must provide a complete registration to the director annually. (b) A registration application for a multitenant property, single dwelling unit rental property or condominium association that was not previously required to register must be submitted before the owner leases the property or before any condominium units are occupied. (c) Registration expires one year after the registration date. (d) The annual registration fee, which includes the initial inspection fee, for a multitenant property is an amount equal to $13.00 times the total number of dwelling units, whether occupied or unoccupied, in the multitenant property. (e) The annual registration fee for a single dwelling unit rental property is: (1) $53 between October 1, 2023 and September 30, 2024 per single dwelling unit rental property. (2) $64 between October 1, 2024 and September 30, 2025 per single dwelling unit rental property. (3) $74 on or after October 1, 2025 per single dwelling unit rental property. (f) No refund or prorating of a registration fee will be made. (g) A registrant shall keep the information contained in its registration application current and accurate. If there is any change in the application information, the registrant shall promptly notify the director in writing of the changes in information. (h) A registration may be renewed by making application for a renewal in accordance with this article on an electronic form provided by the director. In the application for renewal the registrant shall certify that all information in the then-current registration application is still accurate as of the date of the renewal application or correct any information that is not accurate as of the date of the renewal application. (Ord. Nos. 22205; 22695; 24481; 25522; 26455; 27458; 29306; 29753; 30236; 32058; 32556; 33224; 33232)

Dallas City Code § 27-32 REGISTRATION APPLICATION.

SEC. 27-32. REGISTRATION APPLICATION. An owner, landlord, or property manager of a condominium association, single dwelling rental unit, or multitenant property must submit to the director a registration application on an electronic form provided for that purpose by the director. The application must contain the following true and correct information: (1) the name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number for: (A) the owner of the rental property being registered or the name of the condominium association being registered; (B) the person or persons who can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the event of an emergency condition on the rental property. An emergency condition includes any fire, natural disaster, collapse hazard, burst pipe, lack of working utilities, serious police incident, or other condition that requires an immediate response to avoid or minimize potential harm to the rental property, neighboring property, the occupants of the property, or the public. (C) if the owner is not a natural person, then an agent, employee, or officer of the owner or condominium association authorized to receive legal notices and service of legal process on behalf of the owner or condominium association, and, in the case of an entity required to be registered with the State of Texas, the registered agent for service of process for the entity; (D) the holder of any deed of trust or mortgage lien on the rental property being registered; (E) any insurance carriers providing casualty insurance to the owner covering the rental property or condominium association being registered; (F) any agent, employee, officer, landlord, property manager, and other person in control of, managing, or operating the rental property or condominium association on behalf of the owner or condominium association; and (2) if the property being registered is part of a multitenant property or condominium association: (A) the name, all legal addresses comprising the property, and the main telephone number, if any, of the property; (B) the number of dwelling units, buildings, and swimming pools located on the property and the total number of bedrooms located on the property (a dwelling unit with no separate bedroom will be counted as one bedroom); and (C) the name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address for any condominium association applicable to the property; (3) if the owner of the rental property is not a natural person, the form of the entity, including but not limited to, a corporation, general partnership, limited partnership, trust, or limited liability company, and the state or foreign jurisdiction of organization and registration, if other than the State of Texas, as well as, the name and mailing address for each principal officer, director, general partner, trustee, manager, member, or other person charged with the operation, control, or management of the entity; (4) a photocopy of the owner's current driver's license or other government-issued personal identification card containing a photograph of the owner, if the owner is a natural person; and (5) any additional information the registrant desires to include or that the director deems necessary to aid in the determination of whether the registration application will be deemed complete. (Ord. Nos. 22205; 22695; 22906; 24481; 25522; 27695; 28019; 28423; 29879; 30236; 32058)

Dallas City Code § 27-33 REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF REGISTRATION APPLICATION.

SEC. 27-33. REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE OF REGISTRATION APPLICATION. (a) Upon receiving a registration application, the director shall review the application for completeness. (b) If the director finds that the registrant submitted a complete application and paid the correct annual registration fee, the director shall promptly notify the registrant that his or her application has been received and found to be complete. (c) If the director finds that the registrant has failed to submit a complete application or pay the annual registration fee or that any of the information on the application is materially incorrect or misleading, the director shall promptly notify the registrant that the application is defective or incomplete and the director shall list the defects or missing items. (Ord. Nos. 22205; 22695; 24481; 25522; 27458; 30236)

Dallas City Code § 27-38 REGISTRANT’S RECORDS.

SEC. 27-38. REGISTRANT’S RECORDS. (a) Each registrant shall maintain at a single location the business records of the rental property or condominium association being registered. If the registrant refuses to make those records available for inspection by the director or a peace officer, the director or peace officer may seek a court order to inspect the records. (b) Records that must be maintained by the registrant include: (1) the current certificate of occupancy issued for the rental property, if required; (2) deeds or other instruments evidencing ownership for the rental property; (3) a current rental registration application or renewal application; (4) the pool logs, pool permits, and manager of pool operation certificates for any swimming pool on the rental property, if required; (5) leases or rental agreements applicable to the rental property; (6) the crime prevention addendum for each tenant of the property, as required under Section 27-43 of this article; (7) records of attendance at four crime watch meetings in the last calendar year, as required by Section 27-44 of this article, unless the property has not been operated as a rental property during part of the last calendar year; (8) a record of each tenant complaint, describing the complaint and how the complaint was resolved, and which record can only be viewed by the current tenant of the unit complained of and by the city, upon the city's request; (9) a copy of the inspection report described in Section 27-32(b)(5) of this article; and (10) any other records deemed necessary by the director for the administration and enforcement of this article. (Ord. Nos. 22205; 22695; 24481; 25522; 29306; 30236; 32058)

Dallas City Code § 27-39 REQUIRED EMERGENCY RESPONSE.

SEC. 27-39. REQUIRED EMERGENCY RESPONSE. (a) An owner of a rental property and a condominium association shall provide the director with the name, address, and telephone number of a person or persons who can be contacted 24 hours a day, seven days a week in the event of an emergency condition on the property. An emergency condition includes any fire, natural disaster, collapse hazard, burst pipe, lack of working utilities, serious police incident, or other condition that requires an immediate response to prevent harm to the property, the occupants of the property, or the public. (b) The owner of the rental property and a condominium association shall notify the director within 10 days of any change in the emergency response information. (c) The owner of a rental property or condominium association, or an authorized agent thereof, must arrive at the property within one hour after the contact person named in the registration application is notified by the city or emergency response personnel that an emergency condition has occurred on the property. (Ord. Nos. 25522; 30236)

Dallas City Code § 27-40 FAILURE TO PAY AD VALOREM TAXES.

SEC. 27-40. FAILURE TO PAY AD VALOREM TAXES. A registrant, excluding a condominium association, for a property subject to registration under this article shall not allow the payment of ad valorem taxes owed in connection with the property to become delinquent. (Ord. Nos. 22205; 22695; 24481; 25522; 30236)

Dallas City Code § 27-42 PROPERTY INSPECTION; INSPECTION AND REINSPECTION FEES; SELF-CERTIFICATION PROCESS.

SEC. 27-42. PROPERTY INSPECTION; INSPECTION AND REINSPECTION FEES; SELF-CERTIFICATION PROCESS. (a) The director shall conduct a graded inspection of each multitenant property not more frequently than once a year. Graded inspections may be conducted more frequently by the director, when determined to be in the interest of the public health, safety, and welfare. The director, in accordance with Subsection (d) of this section, shall also conduct any subsequent inspections of any property failing the graded inspection. The director may conduct nongraded comprehensive inspections on a multitenant property at any time the director deems necessary. The director, in accordance with Subsection (e) of this section, may allow a multitenant property owner to conduct a self- certification inspection of the property. (1) After completing a graded inspection, the director shall timely issue the property owner or manager a certificate of inspection that includes the inspection score. (2) Multitenant properties that were constructed and issued a certificate of occupancy within the preceding five years are not subject to a graded inspection. (b) The director may conduct inspections of single dwelling rental properties at any time the director deems necessary when determined to be in the interest of the public health, safety, and welfare. The director, in accordance with Subsection (e) of this section, may allow a single dwelling unit rental property owner to conduct a self-certification inspection of the property. (c) The inspections conducted pursuant to this section are in addition to any inspections conducted under Section 27-5 of this chapter. (d) The director may use a property condition assessment tool to determine the frequency and the scope of graded inspections. If a property fails its graded inspection, or if the graded inspection reveals a condition the director determines to be a nuisance, the owner will be assessed fee for all subsequent inspections of the property conducted for the purposes of determining whether the owner has abated the nuisance or cured the deficiencies noted in the graded inspection. Inspection fees will be assessed as follows: (1) For a multitenant property, a re-inspection of the exterior and any common area(s): $114 for each separate structure inspected. (2) For a multitenant property, re-inspection of the interior: $96 for each unit actually re-inspected. (3) For re-inspection of a single dwelling unit rental property: $43 per single dwelling unit rental property. (4) For a multitenant property, a re-inspection of swimming pool: $74 for each swimming pool re-inspected. (e) The following process is required to qualify for the voluntary self-certification process for rental properties deemed eligible by the director: (1) Single dwelling unit and multitenant registrants, property owners, or authorized agents: (A) may choose a self-certification inspection at the time of application and payment for rental registration; (B) shall at the commencement of any tenancy, but prior to occupancy by the tenant, conduct an interior and exterior inspection of each rental unit and correct any deficiencies; (C) shall have the tenant sign the director approved inspection form upon the completion of every inspection; (D) shall, if deemed eligible by the director, conduct annual inspections of each rental unit; (E) shall maintain director approved self-inspection forms for no less than five years from the date any tenant vacates the property; (F) shall provide inspection forms to the director within 72 hours of a request from the director; (G) shall provide a copy of all inspection forms and results required in this subsection to the tenant no later than 10 calendar days after the inspection is completed; and (H) shall provide tenants with information concerning tenants' rights and responsibilities on a form approved by the director prior to the commencement of any tenancy. (2) The director may conduct random audits of rental registrations to determine compliance with the self-certification inspection provisions. If the director determines the owner is not compliant with the self-certification inspections, all rental units that were subject to the self-certification is subject to inspection by the director using the approved form. (f) For failure to have or display, at any time, required documentation, including, but not limited to, permits, notices, licenses, records, or certificates of occupancy, the fee is $146 multiplied by the total number of units in multitenant property. (g) The director shall provide the lists of the current graded inspection scores and approved self-certified inspections for all registered rental multitenant properties on the city's website. (Ord. Nos. 22205; 22695; 24481; 25522; 26598; 27185; 27695; 29879; 30236; 31332; 32058; 32556; 33224)

Dallas City Code § 27-42.1 REVOCATION OF CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY.

SEC. 27-42.1. REVOCATION OF CERTIFICATE OF OCCUPANCY. Where a multitenant property is used or maintained in a manner that poses a substantial danger of injury or an adverse health impact to any person or property and is in violation of this ordinance, the Dallas Development Code, other city ordinances, rules or regulations, or any local, state, or federal laws or regulations, the director may ask the building official to revoke the multitenant property's certificate of occupancy. (Ord. 30236)

Dallas City Code § 27-43 CRIME PREVENTION ADDENDUM REQUIRED.

SEC. 27-43. CRIME PREVENTION ADDENDUM REQUIRED. (a) The owner of a multitenant property shall require that every lease or rental agreement, or renewal of a lease or rental agreement, executed after September 1, 2004 include a crime prevention addendum complying with this section. (b) The owner of a single dwelling unit rental property shall require that every lease or rental agreement, or renewal of a lease or rental agreement, executed after January 1, 2017, include a crime prevention addendum complying with this section. (c) The crime prevention addendum must include the following information: (1) The name, date of birth, driver's license number (or, if the person does not have a driver's license, the number on any other government-issued personal identification card containing a photograph of the person), and signature of the tenant named in the lease or rental agreement and, if the tenant will not be occupying the rental property, the name, date of birth, driver's license number (or, if the person does not have a driver's license, the number on any other government-issued personal identification card containing a photograph of the person), and signature of the tenant or tenants who will be occupying the property. The signatures required on the crime prevention addendum must be separate and apart from the signatures used to execute other provisions of the lease or rental agreement. (2) A statement advising the tenant or tenants that the owner of the rental property will initiate eviction proceedings if the tenant, or any guest or co-occupant of the tenant, engages in any abatable criminal activity on the premises of the rental property, as described in Subsection (d) of this section. (d) For purposes of this section, an abatable criminal activity includes robbery or aggravated robbery; aggravated assault; murder; prostitution; criminal gang activity; discharge of firearms; gambling; illegal manufacture, sale, or use of drugs; illegal manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages; and other crimes listed in Chapter 125 of the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code, as amended. (e) It is a defense to prosecution under Subsection (a) of this section that the owner of the multitenant property used a Texas Apartment Association lease contract for the lease or lease renewal. (Ord. Nos. 25522; 25774; 30236)

Dallas City Code § 27-44 ATTENDANCE AT CRIME WATCH SAFETY MEETINGS.

SEC. 27-44. ATTENDANCE AT CRIME WATCH SAFETY MEETINGS. (a) The owner of a multitenant property shall attend at least four crime watch meetings each calendar year. The meetings attended must be held by crime watch organizations consisting of business owners, single-family residential property owners, or managers, employees, or tenants of multifamily dwellings, or any combination of those groups, gathered for the purpose of improving the quality of life in and around the properties, promoting crime prevention, reducing criminal opportunity, and encouraging cooperation with the Dallas Police Department. A crime watch attendance certificate, provided by a crime watch chair, verifying that the crime watch meeting was attended by the owner of the multitenant property, or by the person designated to attend meetings for the property, must be maintained with the property's records and submitted to the director upon request. (b) If unable to personally attend every crime watch meeting required by this section, the owner of a multitenant property may designate another person to attend the meetings. A person may not be designated to attend crime watch meetings for more than five separate multitenant properties. (Ord. Nos. 24481; 25522; 27458; 29306; 30236; 32058)

Dallas City Code § 27-44.1 PRESUMPTIONS.

SEC. 27-44.1. PRESUMPTIONS. (a) Unless otherwise provided in this article, 30 business days is deemed prompt and sufficient notice by the city. (b) Any notice to be provided by the city pursuant to this article shall be deemed effective when personally delivered to the intended addressee or mailed by first class U.S. mail, certified mail, return receipt requested, addressed to the intended addressee at the last applicable address provided in the registration of the rental property in question. Mailed notice shall be deemed received and effective three days after the date of mailing whether the notice was actually received or not or whether the notice was returned unclaimed or undeliverable. (c) Notices delivered to one tenant of a dwelling unit in a rental property shall be deemed effective as to all tenants and occupants of that dwelling unit. (d) Notice delivered to one owner of a rental property shall be deemed effective as to all owners of a rental property. (e) Notice to an owner of a rental property shall be deemed effective if made to an agent, employee, officer, landlord, or property manager authorized to act on behalf of the owner or identified in the registration for the rental property. For purposes of this article, an owner may act by and through an agent, employee, officer, landlord, or property manager authorized to act on behalf of the owner or identified in the registration for a rental property for that purpose. (f) Notice to a condominium association with respect to common areas or exteriors of a condominium shall be effective as to all owners with an interest in that common area or those exteriors. If there is not a condominium association existing and in good standing with authority over common areas or exteriors of a condominium, notice to an owner of a common interest in the common areas or exterior shall be effective as to all other owners with a common interest in the common area or exterior. (g) In lieu of originals, true and correct copies of any instruments or documents required of an owner or registrant shall be sufficient. Notwithstanding the foregoing, affidavits submitted to the city must bear the original signatures of the affiant and the authority who administered the oath. (h) Any affidavits required in connection with this article must be made by a natural individual having personal knowledge of the matters certified and duly signed and sworn to under oath before an authority authorized to administer oaths. (Ord. 30236)
Source: City of Dallas, Dallas City Code and City Charter (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/dallas/latest/dallas_tx/0-0-0-146159Fetched: 10/26/2026

Starting a business in Texas? Texas LLC guide: costs and requirements