Benton Harbor, MI Code of Ordinances Ch. 20 Art. VI Annual Registration of Habitable Rental Properties §§ 20-165 – 20-204 § 20-171
Reinspection; revocation
Operative Text
(a) No later than sixty (60) days after the initial inspection, a re-inspection may be conducted, to verify that all the violations listed pursuant to Section 20-169 of this article have been corrected. If corrected, a Certificate of Rental Compliance shall be issued pursuant to Section 20-170 of this article. If not corrected, the Temporary Certificate of Rental Compliance shall be revoked and the unit(s) must be vacated. (b) There will be an administrative fee charged for the re-inspection in an amount as established by City Commission Resolution and subject to change. (c) The City of Benton Harbor will respond to citizen complaints of deficient structures by authorizing complaint-based inspections. Legitimate complaints shall result in an inspection fee in an amount as established by City Commission Resolution and subject to change.
Section 20-171 of the Benton Harbor Code establishes a reinspection process for rental units that received a Temporary Certificate of Rental Compliance after an initial inspection found violations. Within sixty days of the initial inspection, a reinspection may be conducted to confirm whether cited violations have been corrected; if they have, a full Certificate of Rental Compliance is issued, and if they have not, the temporary certificate is revoked and the affected unit or units must be vacated. The section also provides that administrative fees apply to reinspections and to inspections triggered by citizen complaints, with specific fee amounts set by City Commission Resolution.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 20-171, operators of rental properties in Benton Harbor are expected to address all violations identified during an initial inspection within the window before a reinspection occurs—no later than sixty days after that initial inspection. A reinspection fee, set by City Commission Resolution, will be charged regardless of outcome, and complaint-based inspections carry their own separate fee. If violations remain uncorrected at reinspection, the Temporary Certificate of Rental Compliance is subject to revocation and the affected units must be vacated, so compliant operators generally track and document each corrective action taken against the violation list issued under Section 20-169.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 20-171 gives Benton Harbor residents a formal mechanism to report substandard rental conditions: the city is authorized to conduct complaint-based inspections when a legitimate complaint is filed. If a landlord's Temporary Certificate of Rental Compliance is revoked because violations were not corrected within the reinspection period, the affected units must be vacated, which reflects the seriousness with which the ordinance treats unresolved habitability issues. Tenants who believe their unit has uncorrected violations may consider filing a complaint with the City of Benton Harbor, consulting a local tenant-rights organization, or reviewing the fee and inspection process outlined in § 20-171 to understand what protections may be 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 October 14, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
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