Decatur commission approves demolition order for dilapidated house at 503 West Ward Street

On June 30, 2025, the Decatur Building Standards Commission approved an order for the City of Decatur to demolish a substandard structure at 503 West Ward Street, after staff said the owner did not respond to multiple certified notices and no repairs had been made.

Code Enforcement Officer Ricky Denny presented photos and a timeline of outreach and said the house is "dilapidated, substandard [and] unfit for human habitation," and that staff had received no responses to certified letters and saw no repairs. Denny said the initial notice was mailed Aug. 29, 2023, with additional letters on Dec. 6, 2023, and May 2, 2025. He told the commission the city obtained a tax certificate on May 28, 2025, and that a notice of proposed action and publication and posting of a public hearing had been completed, including publication in the Wise County Master on June 5, 2025.

Denny described the options authorized by the city's code: repair, removal or demolition. He told the commission the property is not homesteaded and that "if the city demolishes the structure, the city will assess the expense to demolish, place a lien on the property," language the commission recorded as part of the record. The commission opened the public hearing; no members of the public appeared and the hearing was closed.

After the hearing, a motion "to approve the order for the city to demolish the substandard structure" was made and seconded. The presiding officer called for the vote and, hearing no opposition, announced that the motion "passes unanimously." Commission members instructed staff to notice the demolition order and to observe the prescribed waiting period before the city proceeds; the waiting period cited by staff is 30 days.

Denny also provided brief updates on other properties: work has begun on an East Ward property and substantial improvements have been made at a property on Trinity Street discussed at a prior meeting.

The commission did not approve meeting minutes at this session; staff said minutes from the June meetings will be brought back for approval at the next meeting. The commission set its next meeting for Aug. 18, 2025, and staff said the demolition would proceed only after the statutory waiting period and any further required notices.