Some cities and towns in Nebraska have adopted local minimum housing codes. These codes set a minimum standard for the residential dwelling units in the city or town, and they are enforced by the local government. These codes generally cover fire safety, garbage, pest infestations, building structure, electrical and plumbing systems, windows and doors, certain appliances, water leaks, and occupancy, among other items. The codes place some responsibilities on landlords and some on tenants. Both landlords and tenants should discover and understand the requirements of the local housing codes.
Local code enforcement can be a very effective means by which to encourage landlords to make repairs that are covered by the code. The code enforcement procedure is established by each local government, but the procedures generally follow the same pattern. First, a tenant should request the repair from the landlord. If the landlord fails to make the repair after a reasonable time, the tenant should call the local code enforcement office. The code enforcement office will send out an inspector to check for violations of the local housing code. If the inspector finds violations, the code enforcement office issues a notice to the landlord to repair the violation which gives the landlord a deadline to make the repair.
Local Code Enforcement Contacts
Here are some contacts for code enforcement offices in Lancaster and Saunders counties. This is not a complete list. For more information on your local code enforcement, contact your city/town's goverment office.
Lancaster County
Lincoln: 402-441-7785
Waverly: 402-785-2312
Hickman: 402-792-2212
Bennet: 402-782-3300
Firth: 402-560-4834
Saunders County
Ashland: 402-944-3387
Cedar Bluffs: 402-628-3115
Mead: 402-432-6598
Valparaiso: 402-784-2233
Wahoo: 402-443-3222
Yutan: 402-625-2112
