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Legislation committee backs anti-blight updates, raises possible daily penalties and loosens service barriers
Summary
Livable Cities Initiative proposed changes to New Haven's anti-blight code to raise maximum daily fines (including higher caps for persistent or vacant properties), require landlords to secure alleyways and dumpsters, and allow certified/first-class mailing methods to align with state procedures so the city can pursue long-standing blight cases.
The Board of Alders’ legislation committee advanced changes to New Haven’s anti-blight ordinance that would give Livable Cities Initiative (LCI) stronger enforcement tools, increased maximum penalties and additional notice options to address properties that have long resisted city action.
The proposal: Director William Brennan told the committee the changes modernize language, add accessory dwelling units to anti-blight coverage, require landlords to secure through-ways and dumpsters, and adjust maximum civil penalties to align with state anti-blight statutes. Under the draft, ordinary occupied-property violations would carry a higher maximum daily penalty (LCI proposed raising the local cap toward what the state authorizes), with vacant properties and repeat violators facing larger maximums, up to figures referenced in state law.
Why staff sought change: Brennan said the department faces properties that have accumulated large unpaid penalties and ongoing hazards that are difficult to address because of technical mailing and service requirements in the current city code. He showed committee members a list of properties that LCI cannot move on effectively because certified-mail service has been evaded; aligning the city ordinance with state statute will allow the department to use first-class service directed to the tax-assessor address in some cases and proceed in court.
Other changes: The ordinance adds a requirement that notices and civil citations be sent by certified mail where required but also allows notice by email when an owner’s address or email is on file; the committee discussed making written (mailed) notice mandatory while preserving email as an additional channel. Amendments advanced in committee require mailed notice to the tax-assessor address and allow email as a supplementary method. Staff also proposed that civil citations be subject to the same statutory service provisions as state-administered citations to reduce delays caused by property owners who deliberately evade certified delivery.
Enforcement and fines: Committee members asked how hearing officers set fines; Brennan said hearing officers weigh the property owner’s conduct, attempts to comply, and the severity of the hazard when deciding a per-day penalty. Committee members also requested periodic reporting on the volume of fines collected and on liens or forgiven assessments when properties are sold.
Next steps: The committee advanced the ordinance with amendments and asked staff for a three-month report after implementation on (a) fines collected, (b) fines becoming liens on properties and (c) the department’s ability to bring long-running cases to resolution.
