City attorney moves code-enforcement liens from administrative review to municipal court, citing collection limits

The City of Atlanta law department told the Public Safety and Legal Administration Committee on Monday that it will transition many code‑enforcement cases from the Administrative In Rem Review Board process to judicial in rem proceedings in municipal court to preserve the city’s ability to collect liens and penalties.

City Attorney Patrice Perkins said the decision followed a review of court rulings and collection practice that showed administrative in rem orders have repeatedly been treated differently by judges and, in many instances, could not carry penalties, interest or long‑running lien status. Amber Ray Robinson, a deputy in the law department, told the committee that “the administrative in REM board and process was codified in February 2008.” Perkins said the department found hundreds of older administrative liens that courts had limited…