Cedar Rapids Landlord-Tenant Rules

Rental registration & inspection: Every residential rental in Cedar Rapids must be registered with the Housing Inspections Division within 30 days of transfer of title or possession, and must have a Certificate of Compliance to be legally occupied. Anyone who rents out a unit needs a Landlord Business Permit, which comes with training requirements. Rental properties are inspected every 3 years under the International Property Maintenance Code with local amendments, and the division also investigates rental property complaints. Contact 319-286-5197 or RentalHousing@cedar-rapids.org.; Fair housing (local protected classes): Cedar Rapids' civil rights law bans housing discrimination based on age (18+), association with a person in a protected class, color, creed, familial status, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability, national origin, race, religion, sex and sexual orientation, and bans retaliation for filing a complaint. The incident must have happened inside city limits. Housing complaints must be filed within one year of the last discriminatory incident with the Cedar Rapids Civil Rights Commission (319-286-5036). Filing is free.; State preemption of local tenant rules: Iowa law bars cities from limiting the amount of rent charged for private residential property, so Cedar Rapids cannot adopt rent control. Iowa law also bars cities from requiring landlords to accept federal Housing Choice (Section 8) vouchers; any such local rule became void on January 1, 2023.