Justice Ch. 5 Art. IX Occupancy Standards (§§5-301–5-310) § 5-303
Rental Agreements
Operative Text
All rental agreements for leases of dwelling units subject to this Article which are newly executed and/or renewed on or after March 1, 1997, shall be in writing and shall contain the full names and birth dates of all occupants of the dwelling unit leased or to be leased under the rental agreement. The individual occupancy of the dwelling unit may not be changed without an amendment to the existing rental agreement reflecting the change in occupancy and shall in no case exceed the maximum occupancy permitted elsewhere in this Code for that size unit. (Ord. 97-2, § 3, 1-27-1997)
Under Justice Ch. 5 Art. IX § 5-303, any rental agreement for a covered dwelling unit that is newly signed or renewed on or after March 1, 1997, must be in writing and must list the full names and birth dates of every occupant. If the occupancy of a unit changes, the rental agreement must be formally amended to reflect that change, and the total number of occupants can never exceed the maximum occupancy limit set elsewhere in the municipal code for that unit size.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Operators subject to Justice Ch. 5 Art. IX § 5-303 generally maintain written rental agreements that include the full legal names and birth dates of all occupants at the time of signing or renewal. When occupancy changes—such as when a new resident joins the household—compliant operators execute a written amendment to the existing agreement before or at the time of the change, and they verify that the updated occupancy count does not exceed the code-defined maximum for the unit's size.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Under § 5-303, tenants in covered units have a right to a written rental agreement that documents all occupants by name and birth date, and any change in who lives in the unit should be reflected in a formal written amendment. If a landlord refuses to amend the agreement or attempts to restrict occupancy in ways that conflict with this provision, tenants may wish to review the occupancy standards set out in Justice Ch. 5 Art. IX or consult a local tenant-rights organization to understand available options.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 11, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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