Lawrence committee pauses work on overhaul of rental-registration rules after inspection staff briefing

Chair Mark Laquan convened the Ordinance Committee on April 8 and opened a discussion on a resolution he filed addressing non‑compliant housing across Lawrence, asking Director Pat Ruiz of the Inspectional Services Department to brief the committee on the city’s current tools and enforcement capacity.

The committee heard that Lawrence’s rental-registration ordinance, adopted in 2015, “hasn’t been enforced,” in the words of Director Pat Ruiz, and that illegal apartments—basements, attics and converted porches—are widespread. Ruiz said the department currently relies in part on a federal grant that funds five inspectors who will be laid off after June 30, which “is gonna really decimate the department.” Ruiz told councilors, “I think we should rewrite the ordinance… make it a little bit simpler and easier to enforce.”

The discussion centered on three tasks the committee asked ISD to pursue. First, councilors requested a standing, quarterly metric added to the inspectional-services report showing units inspected and an explicit count of unlawful apartments identified; Chair Laquan said, “I would imagine your inspection services report would say we've identified 20 unlawful apartments,” referencing examples Ruiz said the department and fire inspections had uncovered. Second, members asked staff to return in a month or two with suggested ordinance changes or alternative enforcement approaches modeled on other communities. Third, councilors asked the administration to convene a code‑enforcement task force that would include fire, building and police personnel to pursue coordinated neighborhood inspections.

Committee members stressed that enforcement capacity, not only ordinance language, is the limiting factor. Ruiz explained how the department currently learns about many unlawful units—through smoke‑inspection certificates required on house sales, reports from the gas company when meters are moved outdoors, fire‑department responses, and resident complaints—and described the typical enforcement path: housing‑code inspectors issue correction orders (tickets that can be “at least $300 a day”) and, if owners do not comply, cases are brought to housing court.

The committee did not act on the resolution at this meeting. Councilor Fidelina Santiago moved to table further action; the motion was seconded by Vice Chair Selena Reyes and carried by voice vote. Members said they wanted ISD to return with the quarterly report changes and concrete suggestions for ordinance revisions and staffing or funding options before any ordinance rewrite was advanced to the council.

Committee members also discussed accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and a state law the chair cited as newly signed; Director Ruiz said the administration has prepared outreach materials for homeowners and is coordinating with the city zoning officer, Dan McCarthy, on whether changes are needed for two‑ and three‑family properties.

The committee directed staff to return to Ordinance Committee with the requested report elements and draft language for consideration; no final policy change was adopted at the April 8 meeting.