Sparta CHAPTER 124: RENTAL UNIT LICENSING § 124.07
LICENSE FEE
Operative Text
(A) No rental property license shall be issued or renewed unless the complete application form is accompanied by payment of a license fee. The fees for a license is $50 per unit. (B) A 10% discount off the license fee will be given if the property for which application is made, is current on all real estate taxes and, in the year preceding application: (a) was licensed as a rental property; (b) passed the city's occupancy inspection in that preceding year without the necessity of repair and reinspection; and (c) received no more than one citation for an ordinance violation related to property maintenance or public nuisance. (C) A 20% discount off the license fee will be given if the property for which application is made is current on all real estate taxes and, in the year preceding application: (a) qualified for the 10% discount or the 20% discount; (b) passed the city's occupancy inspection in that preceding year without the necessity of repair and reinspection; and (c) received no more than one citation for an ordinance violation related to property maintenance or public nuisance. (D) A 25% discount off the license fee will be given if the property for which application is made is current on all real estate taxes and, in the year preceding application: (a) qualified for the 10% discount or the 20% discount; (b) passed the city's occupancy inspection in that preceding year without the necessity of repair and reinspection; and (c) received no citations for any ordinance violation related to property maintenance or public nuisance. (E) If the same tenant remains in the property for three consecutive years, and if there have been no citations issued for that property for any ordinance violation related to property maintenance or public nuisance in those three years, the requirement of an inspection shall be waived in the fourth and fifth years, and subsequent inspections shall be only once every three years so long as the tenant remains and no citations are issued for that property. (Ord. 2025-03, passed 2-10-2025; Ord. 2025-11, passed 7-14-2025)
Sparta § 124.07 establishes a base rental property license fee of $50 per unit, which must accompany every new or renewal application. Landlords who maintain good standing — staying current on real estate taxes, passing occupancy inspections without reinspection, and keeping citation counts low — can qualify for tiered discounts of 10%, 20%, or 25% off that fee. Additionally, properties with long-term tenants and clean compliance records may qualify for reduced inspection frequency, with inspections waived in the fourth and fifth years and then required only once every three years thereafter.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under Sparta § 124.07, compliant operators submit the full license fee of $50 per unit with every application or renewal, ensuring no application is processed without payment. Operators who keep real estate taxes current, pass occupancy inspections on the first attempt, and minimize ordinance citations related to property maintenance or public nuisance can qualify for the 10%, 20%, or 25% fee discounts in subsequent licensing years. Properties with stable, long-term tenancies and spotless citation histories may also benefit from the reduced inspection schedule outlined in § 124.07(E), which can lower the administrative burden of recurring inspections.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Sparta § 124.07 is primarily a landlord-facing licensing requirement, but it has indirect relevance to tenants: the inspection and citation history tied to a rental property affects the fees and inspection schedule your landlord faces. If a property has been cited for property maintenance or public nuisance violations, it may not qualify for fee discounts under § 124.07, which can signal a pattern of code compliance issues worth noting. Tenants who believe their unit has unaddressed maintenance problems may consider contacting Sparta's local code enforcement or housing office, or reaching out to a tenant-rights organization, to understand what complaint or inspection processes are available.
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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