New Castle County councilors debate sweeping updates to rental code including 4-hour response rule and higher fines

New Castle County Council Finance Committee members spent much of their Sept. 23, 2025 meeting debating Substitute 1 to Ordinance 25-107, a substantial update to Chapter 19 of the county code covering residential rental properties. Councilman Koneko, who presented the substitute, said it would tighten registration timelines, increase penalties for noncompliance, require landlords to respond quickly to emergency conditions and clarify responsibilities for infestations and mold.

The revisions would, among other changes, shorten the required time to register rental units from 20 days to 10 days for certain notices; require landlords to acknowledge notice of emergency conditions within four hours and show corrective action within 24 hours; keep rental registration on a biannual schedule; mandate landlords provide current emergency contact emails to the county; raise fines and penalties that have not been updated in years; and require landlords to exterminate infestations unless there is substantial evidence the tenant is responsible.

Why it matters: the ordinance changes how code enforcement would interact with landlords and tenants in emergency situations and clarifies county expectations for maintenance, mold remediation and infestation response. Koneko framed the changes as shifting protections toward renters, saying the existing code is “much more pro landlord” and the county needs to “turn the tables to protect renters.”

Key provisions and clarifications

- Emergency response: Under the proposed language, the landlord must respond to code officials within four hours of notice of an emergency condition and must begin corrective measures within 24 hours, or document a plan that shows work is underway. Councilman Koneko said, “there has to be some type of action shown to the county within 24 hours.” Land Use staff…