Our rental code is written so that any rental home or unit in a single family zone is permitted to be occupied by a family, which means as long as the tenants are related to each other, there is no maximum limit to occupants. However two unrelated adults are also considered a family. That means that at most two unrelated adults are permitted to live in a rental house. Three adults would require that at least two are related, four adults in a house would require that at least three are related.
Most single family home rentals in U-Heights occur in our older neighborhoods in small homes. Having this restriction prevents streets from being unduly crowded with cars, helps to make sure that services such as garbage are not over burdened and generally helps to protect everyone's quality of life. Iowa City allows single family plus one tenant in their single family homes, so that a minimum of three unrelated adults are allowed in their least dense zoning areas.
Here is the text of the story:
Iowa City Press Citizen 2/14/13 11:24 PM
Bill takes on rental restriction
Cities currently can limit the number of unrelated people living in a home
Iowa City’s housing and inspecting director said the city is
closely watching a recently resurrected bill that would prevent cities
from regulating how many unrelated people live together in a rental
home.
“It would impact us,” Doug Boothroy said. “We obviously don’t support the change. It would change how we regulate occupancy. We would have to completely change the language in the code.”
House File 184 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee last week but has not been scheduled for a full chamber vote.
Similar legislation was discussed last year in the Senate but died in the committee process.
“The ordinances that restrict the number of people who live in a dwelling based on their family relationship are nonsensical and illogical to me,” said Rep. Chip Baltimore, R-Boone, chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He introduced the bill.
Iowa City regulates occupancy based on the number of related and unrelated people sharing a residence. It varies from residential zone to residential zone, Boothroy said.
Advocates for the change say such ordinances violate property owners’ rights and are discriminatory, particularly against those who cannot afford to rent or buy a house of their own.
City leaders argue that such restrictions help mitigate public safety and community welfare concerns. Boothroy said occupancy regulation impacts noise, traffic and garbage and contributes to neighborhood stabilization.
“We feel we need to have that as a local control,” he said. “We need to have that for protecting neighbors from those types of issues that can occur.”
In 2008, West Des Moines passed an ordinance allowing no more than three unrelated adults to live in a single family home, duplex or townhome, be it rented or owner-occupied.
West Des Moines City Manager Greg Sparks said residents worry that allowing large numbers of unrelated adults to live together can diminish the “values and quality of life in single-family neighborhoods.”
More vehicles might be parked in the street, driveways or yards, and traffic and noise problems are more prominent, say Sparks and other advocates for the limitations.
Baltimore argues those concerns are better addressed through specific city regulations and effective policing.
“There are all sorts of ordinances that deal with the actual problems that people are worried about that have nothing to do with family relationships,” he said.
Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee and voted against the bill in committee, said regulations that require strict oversight by law enforcement and other officials are costly to cities.
Ames prohibits more than three unrelated people from living together in low-density zoned neighborhoods.
The city was involved in a 2007 lawsuit in which the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the Ames ordinance did not violate state or federal constitutions and that cities have a right to establish such acts.
Kelli Excell, an Ames real estate agent and president of Landlords of Iowa, said having to kick people out of rental properties because they don’t meet the family requirement is “morally incorrect.”
Excell said the issue involves not only college students, but also older adults who live together to save money and young professionals who purchase homes and take on roommates to help pay the mortgage.
“I really don’t feel like I should have to discriminate against people because there are some neighborhoods who do not want renters,” she said.
“It would impact us,” Doug Boothroy said. “We obviously don’t support the change. It would change how we regulate occupancy. We would have to completely change the language in the code.”
House File 184 passed out of the House Judiciary Committee last week but has not been scheduled for a full chamber vote.
Similar legislation was discussed last year in the Senate but died in the committee process.
“The ordinances that restrict the number of people who live in a dwelling based on their family relationship are nonsensical and illogical to me,” said Rep. Chip Baltimore, R-Boone, chairman of the Judiciary Committee. He introduced the bill.
Iowa City regulates occupancy based on the number of related and unrelated people sharing a residence. It varies from residential zone to residential zone, Boothroy said.
Advocates for the change say such ordinances violate property owners’ rights and are discriminatory, particularly against those who cannot afford to rent or buy a house of their own.
City leaders argue that such restrictions help mitigate public safety and community welfare concerns. Boothroy said occupancy regulation impacts noise, traffic and garbage and contributes to neighborhood stabilization.
“We feel we need to have that as a local control,” he said. “We need to have that for protecting neighbors from those types of issues that can occur.”
In 2008, West Des Moines passed an ordinance allowing no more than three unrelated adults to live in a single family home, duplex or townhome, be it rented or owner-occupied.
West Des Moines City Manager Greg Sparks said residents worry that allowing large numbers of unrelated adults to live together can diminish the “values and quality of life in single-family neighborhoods.”
More vehicles might be parked in the street, driveways or yards, and traffic and noise problems are more prominent, say Sparks and other advocates for the limitations.
Baltimore argues those concerns are better addressed through specific city regulations and effective policing.
“There are all sorts of ordinances that deal with the actual problems that people are worried about that have nothing to do with family relationships,” he said.
Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, who serves on the House Judiciary Committee and voted against the bill in committee, said regulations that require strict oversight by law enforcement and other officials are costly to cities.
Ames prohibits more than three unrelated people from living together in low-density zoned neighborhoods.
The city was involved in a 2007 lawsuit in which the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the Ames ordinance did not violate state or federal constitutions and that cities have a right to establish such acts.
Kelli Excell, an Ames real estate agent and president of Landlords of Iowa, said having to kick people out of rental properties because they don’t meet the family requirement is “morally incorrect.”
Excell said the issue involves not only college students, but also older adults who live together to save money and young professionals who purchase homes and take on roommates to help pay the mortgage.
“I really don’t feel like I should have to discriminate against people because there are some neighborhoods who do not want renters,” she said.
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