Housing Code Violations

The Housing Inspection unit will accept housing and/or property complaints on properties within the City of Cedar Rapids.

Report a Housing Code Violation
Complaints can also be made by calling the Housing Inspection office at (319) 286-5197 or by visiting the office at 1201 Sixth Street SW, Cedar Rapids, IA.

What is Not a Code Violation?
There are some neighborhood or civil problems that do not fall under our jurisdiction because they do not violate public law. Examples are the location of private fences, ugly or unattractive vehicles (unless they are inoperative), damage caused by a neighbor’s tree and the color combinations on houses.

2006 IPMC with local amendments

Exterior Complaints
To file a complaint you should have the address of the property where the violation exists. The list of the violations must be specific, such as peeling paint, broken windows, holes in the roof, or trash and debris in the side yard. The Inspection unit will not respond to complaints with general accusations such as, “the place is a dump.”

Interior Complaints
In order to make a complaint about interior conditions, you must be or represent a tenant in the rental unit where the violation exists. In all cases, please notify your landlord of your complaint in writing (retain a copy of the letter) and allow him/her fourteen (14) calendar days to respond before you notify the Housing Inspection section. Situations involving the loss of a utility should be corrected within 24 hours following notification. The City will not normally respond to your complaint unless you have previously contacted the landlord. Additionally, the list of violations must be specific, such as, holes in bedroom walls, missing door locks, or leaking pipes in a certain room. If the landlord does not correct the problems, then provide the Housing Inspection unit with a copy of the letter to the landlord.