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STAFF Memorandum <br />Ordinance 892: Residential Licensing Expansion <br /> <br /> <br />To: City Council <br />From: Ben Gozola, Assistant Director DCAD <br />Meeting Date: 7-12-21 <br /> <br /> <br />INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND <br />In February of this year, Council held a series of Work Session meetings focused on various housing related issues <br />including Accessory Dwelling Units (should they be allowed?), rental licensing of residential units (should the <br />program be expanded to include single-family homes and duplexes?), and licensing inspection procedures (is our <br />current approach effective?). As a result of those meetings and discussions, staff was directed to undertake a number <br />of housing-related efforts including the preparation of an ordinance to require licensing of all rental dwelling units in <br />the City. The July 12th work session will be used by staff to present an initial framework for expansion of the current <br />program which currently applies only to buildings with three or more units. <br />Please keep in mind that this initial framework is still a work in progress, but this touch-point will ensure we are on <br />the right track prior to expending significant effort on program details and legal review needed to finalize this <br />language. Council’s feedback at this time will guide our continuing efforts, and will ideally pave the way for formal <br />ordinance consideration in August. <br />EXISTING LANGUAGE OVERVIEW <br />To understand the changes being proposed to the City’s licensing standards at this time, it is important to first <br />understand our starting point as spelled out in City Code Chapter 13, Article 3, Licenses. <br /> Licensing is currently required only for units in a “multiple dwelling” (i.e. buildings with three or more dwelling <br />units). Accordingly, single-family and duplex rentals have historically not required licensing and inspection. <br /> The current ordinance is largely divided into three (3) primary components: <br />o Sections 13-154 through 13-160 spell out the process of issuing general rental licenses. <br />o Sections 13-161 through 13-163 spell out the provisions governing provisional licenses <br />o Sections 13-164 through 13-166 outline an assortment of general provisions for all licenses (process for <br />revocation, prohibition on retaliation, recycling services required, etc)