City staff introduces exterior-focused property maintenance code; committee asks for more time and stakeholder input

City staff presented a draft International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC)-based ordinance to give the city clearer authority to require exterior maintenance before structures deteriorate to the point of demolition.

Staff said Findlay currently enforces building and health codes and periodically demolishes dilapidated structures, but lacks a consistent, legally tested framework to require repairs to exterior elements such as missing siding, large roof holes or other long-term weathering issues. The draft focuses on exterior maintenance matters and trims interior building-code requirements; staff said the IPMC is a nationally vetted model updated regularly and commonly used by municipalities to enforce exterior-maintenance standards.

Committee members sought time to review the draft. The law director confirmed the model code is widely used and legally enforceable but agreed the draft's details should be reviewed with stakeholders; staff said they had already met with the rental-property association president and expected comments. Committee members requested more time to review the redlined proposal and said they would discuss the item in September after staff circulates a full copy in advance.

Why it matters: adopting a property maintenance code creates a routine pathway to require exterior repairs, protecting neighborhood property values and public safety by addressing hazards earlier in the deterioration cycle.

Next steps: staff to circulate the full draft to committee members, gather stakeholder feedback (including rental property owners), and return the item to committee in September for additional review before any ordinance is drafted for council action.