Council adopts changes to apartment registration and inspection ordinance (Chapter 14.93)

The University Heights City Council on March 3 adopted an amendment to Chapter 14.93 of the codified ordinances that governs apartment building registration, permits and inspections.

The ordinance was amended to require that registration and permit fees collected under the program be deposited into a designated cost center and spent only to administer the registration, permitting, inspection and certification functions. Law Director Bryant said the change was made to comply with a recent court decision from southern Ohio. The department will track time and equipment costs related to the ordinance and, if excess funds accumulate, fees will be reviewed and adjusted for subsequent years.

Councilmembers discussed fee levels during the meeting. Sponsor Councilmember Weiser and others said a tiered fee structure was chosen to account for wide variation in building size across the city; Councilmember Cooney noted larger future developments such as University Square (estimated 206 units) would change the fee base and that the ordinance could be revised over time. The ordinance sets inspection cycles for apartment buildings on a three-year rotating schedule to manage staff workload.

Council voted to suspend full reading and adopt the ordinance on the second reading after clarifying the amended subsection 14.93.01(d) that dedicates fees to administrative costs of the program. The roll call vote recorded unanimous passage. Councilmembers indicated follow-up work may include parallel review of single- and two-family rental inspection rules and fee parity at a later date.

Administration and Building & Housing committee members said the ordinance is a first step to begin consistent inspections and create legal tools for enforcement; they noted operational details and possible future revisions will follow as the program produces data from inspections.