An amendment to the Washington City Code may soon hold landlords accountable for tenants’ behavior. The council unanimously approved the first reading to add a disorderly house provision to the public peace section of city code at their meeting Tuesday. A disorderly house is defined as places where there are noise violations; use, consumption, or distribution of a controlled substance; gambling violations; alcohol violations for consumption or selling; acts of prostitution; or illegal use of fireworks. The code states that no person, including an owner or renter, shall knowingly keep, maintain, or operate a disorderly house, or knowingly be a landlord of such a place.

Mayor Jaron Rosien said the ordinance is meant to help enforce code and improve the city, “Just basically to have the ability to enforce and have more ability to influence better choices, better behavior, a change in behavior.” Penalties include a simple misdemeanor, and any repeat violations by a property owner or tenant may be considered a municipal infraction.

Police Chief Jim Lester said in his four months in Washington he’s already seen where this would be helpful, “You know we were looking at it more for the disorderly conduct events that are taking place in the front yards or middle of the street that are disrupting the neighbors at 3 in the morning that we get called to time after time, or the homes where we do narcotics search warrants two, three, four times in a six or eight month period and it’s, you know, a revolving door. So it’s a way to, like we said, to hold the landlords accountable for the tenants they have.” The ordinance is based on one set in Johnston, Iowa.

Rosien said it should help people have peace to sleep through the night.

To read a copy of the code click here.