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Development Services plans three-year zoning rewrite, seeks $250K for property abatements
Summary
Director Jeremy Dye told the board the county will update its 1968 zoning ordinance in a three‑year effort, advance adoption of 2024 building codes and requested a one‑time $250,000 fund for property abatements to address chronic junk properties.
Development Services Director Jeremy Dye updated the Board of Supervisors on April 29 about an overhaul of county land-use rules, a push to adopt the 2024 building codes and a one-time request to fund property cleanups.
Dye said Yavapai County's current zoning ordinance dates to 1968 and the department plans a full rewrite spread over roughly three years. The rewrite will include a review of dark-sky lighting rules, a modernized zoning code and an outreach plan with municipalities and the public. Dye said staff will return with regular updates and work with supervisors on community meetings.
Property abatement request and legal limits
Dye asked the board to fund a one-time $250,000 abatement pool to address the most egregious junk-property and blight cases the county confronts. He said an earlier $100,000 allocation had been largely spent on a small number of costly cleanups; the additional money would let staff address several more large cases.
County legal staff told the board abatement work involves a civil court process: the county must pursue orders and judgments, and cost recovery typically occurs only after the court process concludes. County attorney staff explained that long timelines and legal protections for owners make abatement slow and that long-run recovery of costs depends on judgments and tax-foreclosure or lien procedures.
Other highlights from Development Services
- Building codes: Dye said the county is preparing to adopt the 2024 model building codes; that adoption can affect insurance rating and construction requirements. - Permitting performance: Dye reported average permit-review times have fallen to about three weeks across permit types after process improvements and remote video inspections, and that 32 homes have been completed through the department's "Home of My Own" pre-approved floor‑plan program.
Why it matters: The zoning rewrite is intended to replace an ordinance that staff say no longer matches contemporary development patterns, new lighting technologies or countywide growth. The proposed abatement funding targets long-standing nuisance properties that neighbors and town leaders have asked the county to address.
Next steps: Development Services will move forward with formal zoning project timelines, bring the 2024 building-code adoption forward for consideration and return to the board with a proposed abatement plan and criteria for spending the one‑time $250,000 pool.
