Council sponsors and codes officials pitch overhaul of tenant‑occupied licensing: local managers, tenant registry and stronger fines move to May 6

York City’s committee on April 23 discussed and voted to forward to the May 6 legislative agenda a comprehensive amendment to Article 17.61 — the city’s tenant‑occupied residential and institutional occupancies code — intended to strengthen enforcement, require local representation, and tighten penalties.

Councilwoman Buck, the bill sponsor, told the committee she introduced the update after repeated constituent complaints about out‑of‑area owners who lack local contact information and are unresponsive to inspection and enforcement actions. The proposed ordinance would require owners who do not reside within the city’s county or a county contiguous to it to designate a local manager or representative authorized to accept service and to appear for inspections and hearings. Codes staff said the geographic test simplifies administration compared with measuring distance from the city boundary.

The proposed changes also define “disruptive conduct” by tenants to give codes enforcement a pathway to hold owners accountable when tenants’ conduct harms neighborhood quality of life. The ordinance would differentiate initial inspections from reinspections, specify compliance periods (30 days for most violations, 48 hours for life‑safety violations), and establish a graduated penalty schedule to make fines more of a deterrent.

Council and staff discussed adding enforcement “teeth,” including making fine payment or unresolved citations an element that could affect license renewal or refusal to renew. Staff said the ordinance already ties refuse billing to enforcement actions and agreed to clarify penalties to make license renewal consequences explicit.

The draft would also require landlords to list the names of all permitted occupants on the rental license application and to update the city within 10 days of a change in occupancy. Codes staff said they plan to integrate that registry into new software (Esri) and can use OpenGov as an interim intake method. Staff noted tenant lists would not be publicly released and that personal contact information (cell phone numbers, emails) is excluded from public records under right‑to‑know rules.

Committee members raised privacy, administrative workload and appeal process questions; staff said appeals of property maintenance code orders and license denials will go to the consolidated Board of Appeals and that hearing schedules are typically within a month. Staff also said the change will be implemented on a rolling basis as licenses come up for renewal.

After discussion and no public comment on the item at committee, a council member moved to place the bill on the May 6 legislative agenda; the motion was seconded and the committee approved the placement by voice vote.