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Property Maintenance Appeals Board upholds inspector on 122 High Street bedroom-height appeal
Summary
The Ames Property Maintenance Appeals Board voted to uphold a building inspector’s determination that an upstairs area at 122 High Street does not meet the 7-foot ceiling requirement and therefore cannot be counted as a compliant bedroom; the appellant argued measurements were slightly under the standard.
The Property Maintenance Appeals Board of the City of Ames voted to affirm a building inspector’s decision that an upstairs space at 122 High Street does not meet the city's 7-foot minimum ceiling-height requirement and therefore cannot be used as a compliant bedroom.
The board took the action after hearing staff testimony that the upstairs highest point fell 0.4 inches under the 7-foot standard and that sloped ceiling geometry prevents enough continuous area at 7 feet to count as habitable sleeping space. The appellant, appearing by Zoom, said his own measurements were 6 feet 8 inches on one side and 6 feet 9 inches on the other and asked the board for administrative relief or a finding that strict compliance was impracticable.
Board members questioned whether the room’s dimensions and a window made it functional but emphasized that the rental housing code uses specific height criteria that differ from assessor or real-estate listings. "It's not a functional bedroom. It's not safe," an unidentified board member said during deliberations, noting prior appeals with similar facts had been denied. The board ultimately moved to uphold the inspector’s decision; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
Staff reminded the appellant that any decision by the board can be appealed to the district court within 30 days. The board also discussed broader confusion created when assessor counts or real-estate listings suggest a different bedroom count than rental-code inspections; members urged improved outreach to property buyers and realtors so expectations better match rental-code requirements.
The decision maintains the inspector’s restriction that the upstairs at 122 High Street cannot be used as a bedroom under current code definitions. The appellant will receive the board’s written decision by email and may pursue judicial review within the statutory 30-day window.
