Westminster staff push to adopt 2021 property maintenance code, expand rental inspections and launch online landlord directory

Lindsey Kimball, the city’s director of community services, told the Westminster City Council at its Oct. 20 study session that staff will seek adoption of the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code and return to the council for consideration in early 2026. The presentation outlined staffing changes, inspection-volume figures and several tenant-protection proposals, and staff said an online directory of landlords and inspection reports went live the morning of the meeting.

The move matters because the city estimates roughly 15,000 rental units and 514 registered rental properties within Westminster and wants a single, objective standard to guide inspections, improve professional certification among staff and raise insurance-audit ratings that can influence community insurance costs. "We would like to bring back to you for your adoption, the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code," Kimball said during the presentation.

City staff described three linked elements of their plan: adopt the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC) as an objective inspection standard; increase field inspection capacity by repurposing existing positions and cross‑training personnel; and develop additional tenant protections and enforcement tools. Wadi Burgos, acting property standards administrator, said the department has increased inspection staff from what was "initially ... 3 housing inspectors to 9.5 FTEs," a change staff said will allow more systematic and complaint‑driven inspections.

Staff gave specific operational numbers to illustrate workload and reach. Burgos said year‑to‑date work in 2025 included 64 new complaint inspections and 77 reinspections, 295 site inspections and 180 site reinspections; in total staff reported that roughly 3,973 units had been inspected so far in 2025. The department also said there are 221 short‑term rental listings the city monitors.

Sam Everett, chief building official and community standards manager, explained why staff favors adoption of the IPMC: the code sets a minimum, nationally recognized standard that is updated on a regular schedule, provides training and certification pathways for staff, and reduces subjective language in enforcement. "This code actually doesn't make you do anything but maintain what you have," Everett said, adding that the code is designed to clarify what must be maintained rather than to impose new retroactive construction requirements.

Kimball and Burgos emphasized implementation and next steps. Kimball announced that the city launched an online landlord directory and property inspection report portal "at 05:00 we went live with an online directory," and she said staff will return in the first quarter of 2026 with ordinance language to adopt the IPMC. Staff also told council they are actively researching additional enforcement options staff were asked to pursue, including (1) strengthened penalties for retaliatory landlords, (2) a third‑party escrow mechanism for tenant rent when landlords fail to make required repairs, and (3) a fine structure for unlicensed landlords.

Council members questioned scope, process and likely effects. Councilor Hock asked whether the city would provide a public reporting process for unlicensed landlords; Burgos and Kimball said staff will design reporting pathways and that the directory and eTracker system power the public interface. A councilor identified in the meeting as "Sunny" asked for the total number of rental units; staff replied with the 15,000‑unit estimate and noted 514 registered rental properties.

Councilors also raised practical and equity concerns: how inspections are scheduled, how tenants are notified, and whether inspection costs and required repairs could be passed to existing tenants or raise rents. Burgos said the city’s primary contact is the property owner or manager and that owners are responsible for notifying tenants; staff added they are being intentional about increased tenant outreach and language access. Staff confirmed the city’s systematic inspection program applies to apartment properties of four or more units; single‑unit accessory dwelling units and owner‑occupied ADUs are subject to complaint‑driven inspections unless otherwise registered.

Among the administrative goals Kimball described were improving Westminster’s Insurance Services Office (ISO) rating and pursuing an International Code Council (ICC) accreditation for the building department. Everett said Westminster currently holds an ISO score of 4 (where 1 is the top score and the state average is 5) and that adopting the IPMC and increasing staff certifications would improve points the ISO audit considers.

No ordinance was introduced or voted on at the Oct. 20 study session; staff characterized the meeting as a study discussion and requested council direction to advance the items described. Kimball said staff will bring a formal adoption package and proposed ordinance back in early 2026 and that several implementation items are already underway: the online directory is live, a recruitment process for a property‑standards lead received 41 applications, the department has implemented new field technology and staff cross‑training, and some position repurposing was executed without a net new budget request.

Staff also noted pending research and outreach they will return with, including a proposed definition and enforcement approach for retaliatory landlord conduct and investigation of tenant‑rent escrow mechanisms. Burgos and Kimball asked the council to direct staff on priorities and the pace of bringing draft ordinance language forward.

Council members asked for clearer public materials and ongoing reporting: several asked that the online directory be made easy to search and that staff provide regular, regionalized statistics on inspections and outcomes similar to the police and fire reports. Kimball said staff will provide follow‑up data, a comparison of peer jurisdictions' adoption/amendments of the IPMC and additional implementation details prior to formal consideration.

The study session did not produce formal council action; staff recorded the recommendations and the launch of the online landlord directory as operational decisions and will return with proposed code changes and regulatory language for council consideration in the first quarter of 2026.

Sources: presentation and Q&A at the Westminster City Council study session, Oct. 20, 2025. Direct quotes and data points are from Lindsey Kimball (director of community services), Wadi Burgos (acting property standards administrator) and Samantha Everett (chief building official/community standards manager).