Code Compliance

Responsibilities

The City of DeKalb's Code Compliance Division staff works with citizens to maintain a community that is safe, desirable, and inviting to visitors and potential residents and businesses. One responsibility of this division is the Crime-Free Housing initiative, which helps landlords learn how they can protect their investments and encourage renters to be good neighbors.

  • The Code Compliance Coordinator oversees all aspects of the Code Compliance Division, including annual rental property registration, crime-free certification workshops for residential property managers, and property security assessments. This individual is the liaison between the Police Department and the landlord/rental property owner community.
  • Code Compliance Inspectors conduct proactive "sidewalk inspections," which are simply visual assessments of properties from a public right-of-way or an area open to the public, respond to property maintenance complaints, and follow up with property owners on repair progress.

Landlord Requirements

Effective February 12, 2019, the City’s Crime Free Housing program advised Landlords, Property Owners and Managers that the implementation of directly following the provisions of the Crime Free Housing ordinance, as described in Section 52.06 of the City Code, would begin. The notice provided the background for this action and advised recipients that as of February 12, 2019, the City considered properties to have zero offenses. Exceptions to this consideration would be Chronic Disorderly Premises and/or Chronic Disorderly House proceedings currently in progress in the Circuit Court or Administrative Hearing process, along with property maintenance or code enforcement cases. The notice goes on to inform actions to be taken from that date forward for occurrences at rental property. Please click here to read the notice in its entirety: February 12, 2019 Correspondence

As of Tuesday, January 1, 2013, revisions to the City of DeKalb Municipal Ordinance Chapter 10: Landlord-Tenant Regulations took effect  In brief, the ordinance states:

Property Maintenance Regulations

The Code Compliance Division works to help all property owners to comply with the regulations contained in City of DeKalb Municipal Code Chapter 24: Building Code, Article 10 "International Property Maintenance Code."

Typical property maintenance issues include weeds and tall grass, trash and snow/ice removal, and unlicensed/inoperable vehicles. You may view a listing of violations in which Code Compliance has investigated or is currently investigating. 

Condemnation Information

If you have an emergency, please dial 911

For non-emergency information during business hours, please dial 815-748-2060

For non-emergency information outside of business hours, please dial 815-748-8400  

Click here for current information on condemned properties and their status

For More Information

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Code Compliance Coordinator via email or call 815-748-2374.

Click here to submit an online property maintenance complaint.