No person, firm, or corporation who owns or manages single-family detached dwellings, two-family buildings, single-family semidetached dwellings, two-family detached dwellings, single-family attached dwellings, town-houses, multifamily dwellings, and apartments houses (hereinafter "rental dwellings") shall operate or rent to another, or provide for residential occupancy for 1 or more consecutive days with or without compensation, any rental dwelling until a rental license has been issued by the code official. All non-owner occupied rental buildings regardless of the family status of the occupant(s) or compensation amount by the occupant(s) must be licensed and inspected.
Exception: A rental license does not need to be obtained for a property where the occupant(s) are listed on the recorded deed.
802.1.1 
Short-term rentals. Air B&B, Tourist Homes, Boarding/Rooming Houses, Recovery Homes, and Bed and Break-fasts are required to obtain a rental license in accordance with this section prior to occupancy regardless of duration of stay and must provide proof of Norristown Zoning Approval/Permit.
802.1.2 
Occupancy prior to license issuance. Occupancy of any rental dwelling prior to license issuance is a violation of this code. In addition to the imposition of the penalties herein described, the code official is authorized to issue administrative fines of $300 per day. Each day that a violation continues after due notice has been served, in accordance with the terms and provisions hereof, shall be deemed a separate offense. Any person, firm, or corporation violating this section is exempt from the notification requirements set forth in Section 109. Failure to pay the fine, in full, to the Department of Buildings & Code Compliance within 10 days of issuance will result in legal action. Violations of this section can be appealed to the Board of Code Appeals within 10 calendar days of issuance.
Applications for licenses shall be made to the Department of Buildings & Code Compliance on forms furnished by the Department. Licenses must be applied for and obtained on an annual basis.
802.2.1 
Resident information. At the time of application, the person making application shall provide to the department a list of current or proposed tenants for the calendar year. That tenant list shall include the tenant's full legal name, phone number, and email. If a tenant vacates the owner's property and is replaced by a new tenant, the owner is obligated to notify the department in writing within 30 days and provide the information required in the aforesaid tenant list about the new tenant(s) to the department.
802.2.2 
Rental License Fees. At the time of application, each owner for a license to operate a rental dwelling shall pay a license fee on an annual basis set by a resolution of Municipal Council.
802.2.3 
Compliance With Municipal Codes. At the time of application, the owner shall complete a certification subject to the provisions of 18 Pa. C.S.A. § 4904 which states that the owner is aware of and intends to comply with the Norristown Building Safety, Property Maintenance, and Housing Code; Property Maintenance Quick Ticket Program; the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code; the Municipality's Solid Waste Ordinance, and all applicable standalone ordinances of the Municipality.
802.2.4 
Satisfaction of Municipal Fees. At the time of application, the owner and/or their authorized agent making application must have satisfied all permit fees owed to the Municipality of Norristown, with the exception of any taxes and or fees regulated by the statutory authority of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. This satisfaction of the aforesaid permit fees applies not only to the property(ies) that the owner is applying for currently but to all properties that the owner possesses title to within the Municipality of Norristown. The term "appropriate and applicable fees" is meant to extend to those property(ies) which may not be in the name of the owner but which the owner has partnership, shareholder, or equivalent status therein. The satisfaction of appropriate and applicable fees is meant to be liberally construed. Any and all disputes arising out if its interpretation shall be determined first by the Code Enforcement Manager/Building code official and if that is not satisfactory to the owner by the Municipal Administrator of Norristown.
The code official shall issue or renew a rental license to the applicant upon proof that all of the following requirements have been satisfied:
1. 
Zoning use permit has been issued for the purpose for which property will be used;
2. 
The structure complies with the provisions of this code and all other applicable codes and/or ordinances;
3. 
Current satisfactory rental housing inspection. Property must have been inspected within last three years and must not have any open life/safety code violations. If a property has not been inspected within the last three years and/or has not passed inspection and has an open/failed inspection status, a temporary rental license may be issued. Temporary rental license fees will be double the amount of normal rental license fees. Temporary rental licenses are only valid for 6 month increments. Within 6 months of issuance, property owner must contact the department to schedule an inspection and have inspection performed.
4. 
At the time of application if the owner has had his license suspended or revoked in the previous 365 days, the code official and/or Municipal Administrator reserves the right to deny issuance of the rental license for the following year.
5. 
At the time of application, the owner shall complete a certification subject to the provisions of 18 Pa. C.S.A. § 4904 which states that the owner is aware of and intends to comply with the Norristown Property Maintenance Code, the Uniform Construction Code, the Municipality's Recycling Ordinance, and the Municipality's stand-alone ordinances regulating weeds, litter, and snow removal.
Rental licenses shall be renewed annually, on or before the license's expiration date of each year. A rental license shall be considered abandoned upon owner, person-in-charge, or any authorized agents' failure to submit the required or proper annual rental license application and fee. No reduction shall be made for fractional yearly permits. Beginning in 2021, and continuing each year thereafter, the Municipality shall mail rental license applications and invoices to all registered rental property owners by no later than October 15. Nonregistered rental property owners who wish to rent their properties pursuant to this chapter must register with the Municipality, obtain an application for a rental license, and file it in accordance with the provisions of this code. Rental license applications must be fully completed and returned to the Municipality with the required fees by no later than December 15. Rental licenses will be mailed by the Municipality when full payment is received. Notwithstanding any other provisions in this chapter to the contrary, if a person to whom the provisions of this chapter apply fails to obtain a rental license, the Municipality may impose a late fee penalty, which shall be established by resolution of the Municipal Council and may be amended from time to time by resolution of the Municipal Council. The Municipality shall not impose a late fee penalty for failure to comply with the provisions of this chapter until after December 31.
Late fees shall be imposed after the license renewal due date per the approved fee schedule.
Rental licenses shall not be transferable upon change of ownership.
At the time of applying for a new license or license renewal, a Person-in-Charge shall be designated if the property owner does not live or have an office within 50-mile radius of their property. A Person-in-Charge must be designated if the property owner lives outside 50 mile radius of their property. The person-in-charge must reside in or have an office within 50 miles Norristown.
Applications for rental licenses and applications for the renewal of a rental license shall be filled out completely and accurately including the physical address (no P.O. Box allowed) telephone number(s), email address, driver's license/state id info for the owner(s) and if applicable, the information of the person-in-charge. If the owner of the property is a firm, corporation, or other entity an officer of that organization must be identified, and their information must be supplied. The rental license shall not be issued or renewed if an application does not contain all required information.
802.8.1 
Contact address. The contact addresses provided to the Department of Buildings & Code Compliance in accordance with Section 802.8 must be a valid address for the receipt of United States mail and shall be checked by the owner or person-in-charge regularly.
802.8.2 
Telephone number. The telephone numbers provided to the Department of Buildings & Code Compliance in accordance with Section 802.8 must be a valid telephone number capable of receiving and recording voice mail at all times. This number is considered the emergency contact number for the rental property. A response to a voice mail left on this number by a representative of the Municipality or the Department of Buildings & Code Compliance shall be returned or responded to within 3 hours. A response to a voice mail left on this number by a tenant shall be returned or responded to within 3 hours.
802.8.3 
E-Mail address. A valid e-mail address for the owner and person-in-charge shall be provided to the Department of Buildings & Code Compliance The e-mail address shall not be considered an emergency contact and response to an e-mail for the owner or person-in-charge by staff member of the Department of Buildings & Code Compliance municipality or tenant and shall be responded to within 24 hours.
The rental license fee shall be established by resolution of the Municipality.
The rental license shall be displayed in a conspicuous location for all occupants of the building. The issuance of a rental license to a property owner, person-in-charge, or any duly authorized agent of the owner shall constitute consent for an inspection. The rental license is and shall remain the property of Department of Buildings & Code Compliance and must be surrendered to the department upon demand. Failure to post a rental license in a conspicuous location will result in an administrative fine being assessed and/or citations filed for non-compliance.