Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy
The City's Rental Unit Certificate of Occupancy (RUCO) ordinance, which went into effect January 1, 2009, is designed to bring all rental housing units up to an acceptable living standard called the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC).

Since 2004, the Local Ordinance Enforcement (LOE) section of the City's Engineering and Inspections Department, has inspected residential rental units -- occupied and vacant -- for compliance to the IPMC standards. Units that passed the inspection were issued a RUCO certificate.

Rental units that are RUCO-certified can be identified here. Simply enter the address of the property you're interested in to see if it is properly certified. 

Apartment complexes with more than 50 units may not appear in this database, however. There's a Sampling Inspection Process apartment complexes may have qualified for, so check this listing for an apartment complex name to see if it has been RUCO-certified. For more information, call 336-373-2111.

Housing features covered by RUCO include:

  • Premises - The housing premises must be structurally sound and must be waterproof and weatherproof.
  • Equipment and furnishings - Occupants must have adequate heating facilities, potable water, sanitary facilities, and adequate space for sleeping.
  • Sanitation - All rooms used by the occupants must be maintained in a clean and sanitary condition.
Owners of current and future rental properties identified as violating the RUCO ordinance are liable to civil penalties.

If complaints are filed on a RUCO-certified property, the charges will be investigated. If violations are verified, the owner of the property has 45 days to correct the problems. If the corrections are not made in time, the RUCO certificate is revoked and the unit must be vacated until the certificate is restored. The first restoration of a RUCO costs the owner $250.

If complaints and violations are verified on a property for the second time, the owner again has 45 days to correct the problems. If the corrections are not made in time once again, the RUCO will again be revoked and the unit must again be vacated. The owner's fine this time is $500.

A third round of violations will again cost the owner $500 and $25 per day until the corrections are made.

For more information, call the City's LOE section at 336-373-2111.