Grand Prairie rental maintenance guide: the tier score, the IPMC 2021 and re-keying

Grand Prairie turns maintenance into arithmetic. Each apartment complex receives a summary grading score out of 100 built from “the number and types of serious outstanding violations, code convictions and calls for service observed on a property annually,” and the score decides whether the city returns once, twice or four times next year and whether the fee is $12.60, $18.90 or $25.20 per unit (Code §§28-23, 28-27). The standard the inspectors apply is the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, adopted by §29-12. A house let for a year is outside the scoring, but not outside the code: complaint-driven code compliance and Property Code §92.056 apply to it as they do everywhere in Texas.

Manage the score, not just the repairs

Two inputs move the score and both are manageable. Violations: walk the property against the IPMC 2021 chapters on exterior structure, interior structure, plumbing, mechanical and fire safety before the annual inspection, and clear what you find; a violation corrected before the inspector arrives is not an outstanding violation. Calls for service: they are counted per event, and a ratio above 1.00 per unit per year lowers the tier (§28-23). Crime-Free Multi-Housing membership is mandatory at Tier 2 and 3 and waives the $150 fee at any tier; joining before the score slips is cheaper than joining after. Keep a monthly log of police and fire calls with unit numbers — the city counts them, so should you.

The inspection: 30 days’ notice, every unit or a sample

Staff “notify the owner/manager of the property thirty (30) days prior to the initial inspection” and may inspect every rentable unit or a sample based on age and history; if the sample “reveals numerous violations,” the director may extend the inspection “up to one hundred (100) per cent.” Units the owner designates as not offered for habitation need not be inspected, but “may not be occupied or made available for occupancy” until submitted and approved; a re-inspection carries a fee per unit or building (§28-19). Use the 30 days: the notice is the schedule for the self-inspection.

Locks: the re-key rule

§28-18(d) restates the Property Code’s security-device list — deadbolt, keyless bolting device, door viewer on every exterior door — and adds a local duty: “upon the permanent departure of a tenant by way of either expiration of the lease, or by way of forcible entry and detainer action, apartment complexes shall change or alter the deadbolt lock and doorknob lock” so that the former tenant’s keys no longer work (§28-18). Put re-keying on the turnover list and record the date by unit; an inspector can ask.

The tenant’s repair clock

Whatever the tier, a written repair request from a tenant starts §92.056: a diligent effort to repair a condition materially affecting health or safety, with seven days presumed reasonable, and remedies for the tenant when the landlord does not act. Acknowledge the request the day it arrives, date the work order, file the invoice. In a scored complex the same file is also the evidence that a violation was corrected.

A GRAND PRAIRIE MAINTENANCE CALENDAR
When	Task	Why
30 days before the city inspection	Self-inspection against the IPMC 2021; clear outstanding items	Score and tier (§§28-19, 28-23)
Monthly	Log calls for service by unit; review the 1.00-per-unit ratio	Tier rating (§28-23)
Each turnover	Re-key deadbolt and doorknob; test smoke alarms; inventory with photographs	§28-18; Property Code §92.255
March–April	Photograph roofs and carports; clear gutters and drains	Hail season; flood risk along Mountain Creek and the Trinity
October	Insulate exposed lines; test heating in every unit	Freeze; utility outages go to Oncor
January	File the apartment certification and pay the fee; display the certificate	§28-20; fee billed in March (§28-27)

Utilities on the sheet

Electricity outages go to Oncor, not the retail provider; water and sewer questions to the city’s Water Utility Customer Service at 972-237-8200 (Water Utility Customer Service). In a master-metered building the water allocation must be described in the rental agreement under Water Code §13.5031. The Grand Prairie weather plan carries the storm-day sheet.

What changes in Grand Prairie

A numeric score — violations plus calls for service — sets next year’s inspection frequency and fee.
The standard is the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code.
Thirty days’ notice before the annual inspection; a sample can become 100% of units.
Locks re-keyed at every permanent departure, by ordinance.
Houses let long-term: complaint-based enforcement and the state repair clock only.

Frequently asked questions

What code does Grand Prairie inspect rentals against?

The 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, adopted by Code §29-12, plus the Chapter 28 multifamily standards (Code §29-12).

How much notice does Grand Prairie give before an apartment inspection?

Thirty days before the initial annual inspection; the city may inspect all units or a sample (Code §28-19).

Must a Grand Prairie complex re-key at move-out?

Yes — the deadbolt and doorknob locks must be changed or altered at every permanent departure so the previous tenant’s keys no longer work (Code §28-18).

Does the city inspect single-family rentals?

Not on a schedule; code compliance responds to complaints, and Property Code §92.056 governs repairs (Property Code).

Sources

Rules change and the right answer can depend on the home, the city, the lease and the timing. These are the official pages this guide relies on; check them before signing, charging a fee, sending a notice or making a legal decision.

General information for U.S. landlords, with a Texas focus. This guide is not legal, tax or accounting advice. Consult a qualified professional for your situation. Written by the rentalfreelease.com Editorial Team; last reviewed September 19, 2026.