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Bristol adopts ordinance to require repair or removal of dangerous structures under Virginia law
Summary
City council adopted Ordinance 25-7 authorizing the city to require the removal, repair or securing of structures that endanger public health or safety under Virginia Code §15.2-906. Council members clarified the ordinance targets severely hazardous properties, not minor repairs.
On Aug. 12, 2025, the Bristol Virginia City Council adopted Ordinance No. 25-7, authorizing the city to require the removal, repair or securing of structures that endanger public health or safety in accordance with Virginia Code §15.2-906.
City staff told council the ordinance provides an additional legal tool for addressing blighted and derelict properties that present immediate hazards. Staff said existing approaches—warning letters, voluntary compliance and court action—remain available, and this ordinance adds an administrative mechanism to accelerate remediation for properties deemed unsafe.
City Manager Eads and other council members emphasized the ordinance is intended for severely hazardous properties, not for routine maintenance issues such as a broken porch banister. “This is not an ordinance if you have a broken banister on your front porch,” a councilmember said during debate, adding the tool applies to properties that are “several steps beyond that” in disrepair. Councilmembers noted the city already has examples of properties that would qualify.
The council voted to move the ordinance on second reading and then to adopt it. The adoption vote was unanimous. The ordinance citation read into the record was: “Ordinance number 25-7, ordinance of the city of Bristol, Virginia requiring the removal, repair, or securing of structures that endanger the public health or safety in accordance with Virginia Code §15.2-906.”
Staff and council members said the new ordinance will be used selectively, aimed at structures that create imminent hazards to occupants or the public. The city indicated it will follow the procedures laid out in the ordinance and state code when initiating enforcement and will continue to pursue voluntary remediation where feasible.
Implementation will proceed through the city’s code-enforcement and legal processes; staff said they will bring cases to council or court as required by the ordinance and state law.
