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Council reviews proposed changes to Lakewood rental-housing licensing; ADU exemption and self-certification draw debate
Summary
Staff proposed amendments to Lakewood Municipal Code 5.6 to broaden registration language, reduce new-construction exemptions from 10 to 5 years, add an owner self-certification option and remove some exemptions (including ADUs); council members raised concerns about expanding inspections to ADUs and how self-certification would be enforced.
City staff presented proposed amendments to Lakewood Municipal Code chapter 5.6 on March 16 that would clarify registration language, shorten the newly-constructed exemption from 10 years to five, remove some program exemptions (including accessory dwelling units, transitional housing and shelters), and add a voluntary owner self-certification option as an alternative to city or private inspections.
Program Manager Gumb said the original code combined licensing and inspection language in a way that unintentionally exempted some properties and that the amendments would replace the term "rental housing complex" with "rental housing unit" to make registration apply broadly. He said the proposed self-certification is intended as an optional path used in other Washington cities (for example, Renton) and would allow staff to redirect inspection resources toward properties with historical failures or active complaints.
Council members asked detailed questions. Council member Pearson asked how adult family homes fit in; staff said state-licensed adult family homes are exempt from the municipal rental program because they are regulated by the state. Pearson also asked for a clear definition of "newly constructed;" staff said the city could define it by certificate-of-occupancy date.
Several council members opposed expanding the program to small-scale or owner-occupied ADUs. Council member Lindholm worried about inspecting a homeowner's living quarters and imposing additional costs on small landlords. "I would be strongly opposed to expanding the rental housing program to ADUs," she said.
Council member Branstetter and others supported self-certification as a way to free staff time for enforcement of problem properties but urged safeguards: staff said that historic inspection failures, complaint history and code-enforcement records would guide verification and follow-up inspections if owners misrepresent conditions.
Staff said the planning commission held a hearing and approved the proposed amendments and that the item will return to council for decision on April 6 with a 30-day effective-if-adopted schedule. If adopted, the changes would go into effect 30 days after passage.
