How to Tell Whether Your Home Has Code Violations

By Sandy Hess

September 20, 2024

Code violations are a homeowner’s worst nightmare. They can lead to hefty fines, make it more difficult to sell your home and require costly repairs to come into compliance.

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If you’re worried your current home or a home you want to purchase has a code violation, it’s essential to find out as soon as possible.

What Is a Code Violation?

Local municipalities, including boroughs, townships and parishes, create a set of ordinances residents must follow. Many of these codes involve property maintenance. For instance, cities often have regulations detailing how frequently homeowners must mow the grass or shovel snow off the sidewalk.

These codes also set rules and regulations regarding structural designs, electrical work, household plumbing, HVAC systems and fire safety. The primary goal of these codes is to ensure residential and commercial buildings are safe for residents and the community.

Failure to adhere to any of these ordinances could result in a housing code violation. These violations are often determined at the local level and processed through the city’s code enforcement officer.

What Happens If Your Home Is Not Up to Code?

If your house isn't up to code, you could face a variety of penalties. Often, local authorities start by sending the homeowner a warning and giving them time to make the necessary repairs before taking further action. It’s important to take a city code violation warning like this seriously and take steps to bring your home into compliance within the timeframe provided.

Failure to make the necessary repairs or adjustments to your home could result in costly fines and penalties. If you continue to ignore the violation, local authorities could take legal action and have the courts order you to make the required repairs.

In extreme cases, local authorities could force you to vacate the property. This action will displace you and your family until the code violations are fixed. Additionally, if you’re building a new home, you'll have trouble obtaining your home occupancy permit if you have any construction code violations.

What Are Some of the Most Common Building Code Violations?

There are many building codes in the books, but some are violated more often than others. Here’s a look at the most common building code violations.

Failure to obtain a permit for new construction
Missing or nonworking smoke detectors
Blocked exits or doorways
Faulty electrical wiring
Improper bathroom ventilation
Defective or missing GFCI circuit breakers
Failure to test for lead paint or asbestos prior to construction

Are Code Violations Public Record?

Yes, code violations, as well as current building permits, are public records. This means you have access to this information for any local municipality. Keep in mind that these public records include all types of code violations, ranging from small infractions, including high grass violations and broken-down cars on the property, to more extensive issues, such as mold violations or faulty electric wiring.

Court records pertaining to home code violations are also public records. In fact, many counties offer online court records that allow you to check these violations using any device with internet access.

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How to Find Out If a House Has a Code Violation

It’s fairly easy to find out if a house has a code violation. Whether it’s your home or another property, all you need to do is contact the code enforcement agency in the county, city, borough or township where the property is located and ask if there are any current code violations for that location.

If there is a code violation, the agency official can tell you the type of violation and its status. While you can contact the agency over the phone, you may be able to ask more questions about past issues with the property by going in person.

If you’re searching for properties to purchase, you may want to ask for a list of all code-violating properties in a specific area. Having this list handy allows you to quickly conduct a code violation search when previewing new properties. These code violation lookup lists are often updated on a monthly basis, so you may need to request a new list each month.

The longer you let a code violation go without making the necessary repairs, the more expensive the penalties are. If you want to know if your current property or a property you’re considering purchasing has any current code violations, contact your local code enforcement agency immediately.

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