Most Texas cities leave “habitable” to the courts. Pasadena puts figures on it. Chapter 16½, which adopts the 2024 International Property Maintenance Code as the housing code (Ordinance 25-197, October 21, 2025), requires an owner to “provide and maintain a supply of hot water of a constant minimum temperature of one hundred twenty degrees Fahrenheit (120°F)” and, where a fixed air-conditioning system is furnished, one “designed to cool to a twenty-degree differential between inside and outside temperatures, or at least seventy-eight (78) degrees Fahrenheit” (§16½-11); to present, with each licence application, evidence of pest treatment “within the preceding six (6) months by a person licensed under the Texas Structural Pest Control Act” (§16½-9); to keep “a log of all repairs and replacement costing more than two hundred dollars ($200.00)” (§16½-6); and to “specifically comply with the provisions of chapter 92, Subchapter D, of the Texas Property Code” — the security-device rules (§16½-9). The annual licence inspection checks all of it; a house let on its own is outside the licence but inside the code.
Cooling: measure it, log it
A Gulf Coast summer makes §16½-11 the most-tested rule in the chapter. Service each system before May, run it against the standard — inside temperature 20 °F below outside, or 78 °F or lower — and write the reading on the service ticket. A tenant’s written report that the unit will not cool starts the §92.056 clock, and a unit that cannot meet 78 °F in August is both a code violation and a health-and-safety condition; the arrangement for a same-week fix — a contractor on call, a portable unit — belongs in the file. Where no fixed system is furnished, the ordinance requires insect screens on every window and door, and the screens are what the inspector checks.
Hot water, wiring, flooring, ventilation
At each turnover, test the water heater for a constant 120 °F, confirm that every circuit and outlet “safely carry a load imposed by normal use” under the city’s electrical code, and check the items §16½-10 adds to the IPMC — moisture-resistant flooring in kitchens, bathrooms and toilet rooms, and cross-ventilation in any crawl space (§§16½-10, 16½-11). Solid-fuel appliances must be flued; sewage must discharge to the public sewer where available.
Pests: the six-month cycle
The licence application demands proof of treatment within the last six months, so the cycle is fixed by ordinance rather than by complaint. Book a licensed operator twice a year, keep the invoices with the licence, and add pest evidence to the annual self-inspection — the inspector may enter vacant units and, with the occupant’s permission, occupied ones (§§16½-9, 16½-13).
The annual inspection: before December 31
Licences expire December 31 and the fee includes the inspection ($50 per unit for a duplex or triplex; $250 plus $3.25 per unit for a complex — Fee schedule). Self-inspect in November against §16½-9 to 16½-11 and the IPMC, correct what you find, and have the leases, occupant counts and the $200-plus repair log ready — §16½-6(h) lets the inspector ask for them. A violation found on inspection carries a $100 re-inspection fee; a unit placarded as dangerous must be vacated until repaired (§§16½-16, 16½-17). The Pasadena registration guide sets out the licence.
| When | Task | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| April–May | Service cooling; record the 20 °F / 78 °F reading per unit | §16½-11 |
| Every six months | Licensed pest treatment; invoice to the licence file | §§16½-6, 16½-9 |
| Before June 1 | Photograph roof and exterior; confirm flood and wind cover; siren and shelter sheet to each tenant | Hurricane season; city sirens |
| Each turnover | Water heater at 120 °F; smoke detector certified; locks per Chapter 92 Subchapter D; occupant count within §16½-14 | §§16½-9, 16½-11, 16½-14 |
| Monthly | Update the repair log for work over $200; check master-meter notice is current | §§16½-6(h), 16½-8 |
| November | Self-inspection; licence renewal and fee before December 31 | §§16½-6(f), 16½-7 |
Single-family houses
A house is not licensed, but the 2024 IPMC is the housing code for “all existing structures and properties regardless of occupancy or use” (§16½-1), and the city’s Code Enforcement department “initiates inspections based on either physical observations or complaints,” listing high grass, junk vehicles and dangerous buildings among the usual ones (Code Enforcement). The same cooling and hot-water numbers are a sensible standard for a house even where the licence does not reach.
Utilities on the sheet
Power outages go to CenterPoint, the delivery utility (CenterPoint); water and sewer problems to the city’s Water Billing Office or the Pasadena Action Line at 713-475-5555 (Water Billing). In a master-metered complex the posted payer notice under §16½-8 is part of the sheet. The Pasadena weather plan adds the sirens.
What changes in Pasadena
- Cooling and hot water have ordinance numbers: 20 °F differential or 78 °F, and 120 °F.
- Pest treatment every six months by a licensed operator is a licence condition.
- A per-unit log of repairs over $200 that the inspector may ask to see.
- An annual inspection tied to a licence that expires every December 31.
- Moisture-resistant flooring and crawl-space ventilation are local additions to the IPMC.
Frequently asked questions
What cooling standard applies to Pasadena rentals?
A fixed system must cool to a 20-degree differential between inside and outside or to at least 78 °F; without a fixed system, insect screens are required on all windows and doors (Code §16½-11).
How often must a Pasadena complex be treated for pests?
Evidence of treatment within the preceding six months by an operator licensed under the Texas Structural Pest Control Act is required with each licence application (Code §§16½-6, 16½-9).
What records can the Pasadena inspector request?
Leases and other records showing occupants per unit, and a log of all repairs and replacements costing more than $200 (Code §16½-6(h)).
What is the hot-water rule in Pasadena?
A constant minimum of 120 °F in each dwelling unit (Code §16½-11).
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.
- Pasadena Code of Ordinances, Chapter 16½ — Housing (occupancy licence, standards, inspections) ↗
- City of Pasadena — Fee schedule (annual occupancy licence fees) ↗
- City of Pasadena — Code Enforcement ↗
- CenterPoint Energy — Electric utility (transmission and distribution) ↗
- City of Pasadena — Water Billing ↗
- Texas Property Code, Chapter 92 (residential tenancies) ↗
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.