Landlord License Requirements by State 2026
Which states require statewide landlord registration, and which leave it to municipalities. Real statutory citations and penalty data for all 50 states + DC.
Six Jurisdictions With Statewide Rental Registration
Most U.S. states leave rental registration to cities and counties. Only six jurisdictions require statewide registration of every rental owner: Arizona (county assessor registration under A.R.S. § 33-1902), New Jersey (Bureau of Housing Inspection or municipal clerk under N.J.S.A. 46:8-28), District of Columbia (Basic Business License, Housing endorsement under D.C. Code § 47-2851.03d), Hawaii (General Excise Tax license under HRS § 237-9), Nevada (State Business License under NRS § 76.100), and Washington (Unified Business Identifier under RCW § 19.02). The remaining 45 states delegate to municipalities, some heavily (Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Portland, NYC), some not at all.
| State | Scope | Statute / Citation | Notable Programs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | Statewide | A.R.S. § 33-1902 |
Statewide registration, see state page |
| District of Columbia | Statewide | D.C. Code § 47-2851.03d |
Statewide registration, see state page |
| Hawaii | Statewide | HRS § 237-9 |
Statewide registration, see state page |
| Nevada | Statewide | NRS § 76.100 |
Statewide registration, see state page |
| New Jersey | Statewide | N.J.S.A. 46:8-28 |
Statewide registration, see state page |
| Washington | Statewide | RCW § 19.02 |
Statewide registration, see state page |
| Alabama | Local Only | Ala. Code § 35-9A |
Birmingham (general business license) |
| Alaska | Local Only | Alaska Stat. § 34.03 |
Anchorage (general business license only) |
| Arkansas | Local Only | Ark. Code § 18-17 |
Little Rock (general business license) |
| California | Local Only | Cal. Civ. Code § 1940 et seq. |
Los Angeles (HCID Rent Registry), Oakland (RAP), San Francisco (Rent Board), Berkeley (RSO), Santa Monica (… |
| Colorado | Local Only | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12 |
Denver (Residential Rental License, phased rollout completing 2024 for all unit counts), Boulder, Aurora, L… |
| Connecticut | Local Only | C.G.S. § 47a-1 |
Hartford, Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford, Waterbury (rental property registration ordinances). |
| Delaware | Local Only | 25 Del. C. § 5101 |
Wilmington (Rental Property Registration), Newark, Dover (rental license programs). |
| Florida | Local Only | Fla. Stat. § 83.40 |
Miami-Dade County (Certificate of Use), Hialeah, Hollywood, North Miami Beach (rental registration). Vacati… |
| Georgia | Local Only | O.C.G.A. § 44-7 |
Atlanta (no general residential registry; STR registration only), Savannah (STR), Athens-Clarke County (ren… |
| Idaho | Local Only | Idaho Code § 55-208 |
No notable programs |
| Illinois | Local Only | 765 ILCS 705 |
Chicago (Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, registration via property tax bill), Evanston, Oak Park… |
| Indiana | Local Only | Ind. Code § 32-31 |
Indianapolis (limited proactive rental inspections under HEA 1313 carve-out), Bloomington, West Lafayette. |
| Iowa | Local Only | Iowa Code § 562A |
Des Moines, Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Ames (rental permit programs requiring inspection and annual registrat… |
| Kansas | Local Only | K.S.A. § 58-2540 |
Wichita, Lawrence (rental inspection programs). |
| Kentucky | Local Only | KRS § 383 |
Louisville (Rental License via Property Maintenance Code), Lexington-Fayette (Rental Inspection Program for… |
| Louisiana | Local Only | La. R.S. § 9:3251 |
New Orleans (Short-Term Rental Permit; long-term Rental Registry rolled back in litigation 2024), Baton Rou… |
| Maine | Local Only | 14 M.R.S. § 6021 |
Portland, Lewiston, Bangor, Auburn (rental property registration ordinances). |
| Maryland | Local Only | Md. Real Prop. § 8 |
Baltimore City (Rental Property Registration & License, required for ALL residential rental units), Baltimo… |
| Massachusetts | Local Only | M.G.L. c. 186 |
Boston (Rental Registration & Inspection Ordinance, biennial), Cambridge, Worcester, Somerville, Lowell, La… |
| Michigan | Local Only | MCL § 554.601 |
Detroit (Rental Property Certificate of Compliance), Lansing, Grand Rapids, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Kalamazoo… |
| Minnesota | Local Only | Minn. Stat. § 504B |
Minneapolis (Rental License, Tier 1/2/3 system), St. Paul, Duluth, Rochester, Bloomington, Brooklyn Park (r… |
| Mississippi | Local Only | Miss. Code § 89-8 |
Jackson (no general residential registry), Gulfport (limited). |
| Missouri | Local Only | Mo. Rev. Stat. § 441 |
St. Louis (Occupancy Permit + Rental Property Registry), Kansas City (Healthy Homes Rental Inspection Progr… |
| Montana | Local Only | Mont. Code § 70-24 |
Bozeman, Missoula (limited rental inspection); STR registries in tourist towns. |
| Nebraska | Local Only | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1401 |
Omaha (Rental Inspection Program), Lincoln (Rental Property Registration). |
| New Hampshire | Local Only | N.H. Rev. Stat. § 540 |
Manchester, Nashua, Portsmouth (limited rental inspection programs). |
| New Mexico | Local Only | N.M. Stat. § 47-8 |
Albuquerque (STR registration only), Santa Fe (STR + limited long-term). |
| New York | Local Only | N.Y. RPL § 226-b |
NYC (HPD Multiple Dwelling Registration, required for buildings of 3+ units, AND any 1-2 unit non-owner-occ… |
| North Carolina | Local Only | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42 |
Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh, Winston-Salem (limited proactive rental inspection programs targeting prope… |
| North Dakota | Local Only | N.D. Cent. Code § 47-16 |
Fargo, Bismarck (no general residential registry). |
| Ohio | Local Only | O.R.C. § 5321 |
Cleveland (Lead-Safe Rental Certification + general registration), Cincinnati (Rental Property Owner Filing… |
| Oklahoma | Local Only | Okla. Stat. tit. 41 |
Oklahoma City, Tulsa (no general residential registry; STR programs only). |
| Oregon | Local Only | Or. Rev. Stat. § 90 |
Portland (Rental Services Office, annual Schedule R filing required for ALL residential rental property), B… |
| Pennsylvania | Local Only | 68 Pa.C.S. § 250 |
Philadelphia (Rental License, Commercial Activity License + Housing Inspection License required to lease AN… |
| Rhode Island | Local Only | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18 |
Providence (Rental Registry), Pawtucket, Cranston, Warwick (rental registration ordinances). |
| South Carolina | Local Only | S.C. Code § 27-40 |
Columbia (Rental Permit Program), Charleston, Greenville (limited rental inspection programs). |
| South Dakota | Local Only | S.D. Codified Laws § 43-32 |
Sioux Falls, Rapid City (no general residential registry). |
| Tennessee | Local Only | Tenn. Code § 66-28 |
Nashville-Davidson (STR Permit Program), Memphis (limited proactive inspections), Knoxville, Chattanooga. |
| Texas | Local Only | Tex. Prop. Code § 92 |
Austin (Repeat Offender Program for properties with code violations), Dallas (Multifamily Rental Registrati… |
| Utah | Local Only | Utah Code § 57-22 |
Salt Lake City, West Valley City, Provo, Ogden, Sandy (Good Landlord Program participation). |
| Vermont | Local Only | 9 V.S.A. § 4451 |
Burlington (Minimum Housing Code Rental Registration), Montpelier, Winooski (rental registration). |
| Virginia | Local Only | Va. Code § 55.1-1200 |
Richmond (Rental Inspection Program in designated districts), Norfolk, Newport News, Hampton, Roanoke (Rent… |
| West Virginia | Local Only | W. Va. Code § 37-6 |
Charleston, Huntington (no general residential registry). |
| Wisconsin | Local Only | Wis. Stat. § 704 |
Milwaukee (Residential Rental Inspection Program, targeted), Madison (rental inspection), Green Bay. |
| Wyoming | Local Only | Wyo. Stat. § 1-21-1201 |
Cheyenne, Casper, Jackson (STR permits in resort towns). |
Why This Matters: License Compliance Blocks Eviction
In several jurisdictions, failure to register your rental property is not just a fine, it eliminates your ability to bring an eviction action. Examples we have verified to statute or municipal code:
- New Jersey: N.J.S.A. 46:8-33, landlord cannot file complaint for possession without a current Certificate of Registration on file.
- Maryland (Baltimore City): Md. Real Prop. § 8-208.1, failure-to-pay-rent action barred without current rental license.
- Pennsylvania (Philadelphia): Phila. Code § 9-3902(4), cannot collect rent for any period the license was suspended or not in effect.
- New York City: Multiple Dwelling Law § 325, landlord may not commence summary proceeding (holdover or non-payment) on an unregistered multiple dwelling.
- Washington (Seattle): Seattle Municipal Code § 22.214, RRIO non-registration suspends right to evict for non-payment.
- Arizona: A.R.S. § 33-1902(D), non-registered landlord cannot maintain a forcible-entry-and-detainer action.
This is the single highest-leverage regulatory compliance item for buy-and-hold landlords. The annual fee is small; the consequence of non-compliance is potentially months of unrecoverable lost rent during a non-payment situation.
Sources & Methodology
- Statewide regimes: Cited to specific state statute (A.R.S., N.J.S.A., D.C. Code, HRS, NRS, RCW) per row, retrieved from official state legislature/code websites.
- Local programs: Cited to the most prominent municipal programs we confirmed via housing-department websites or municipal code search.
- Penalty information: Drawn from the cited statutes/ordinances; for ordinances, fee/penalty figures reflect the most recent published city rate sheet.
- Not exhaustive: Smaller cities may have rental registration programs not listed here. Always verify with your specific municipality before relying on "no registration required."
Data compiled from state statutes and municipal codes cited per row. Last updated August 28, 2026. For informational purposes only, not legal advice. Consult a licensed attorney in your state before relying on these summaries.