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Evansville council amends nuisance code to broaden ‘trash and debris’ definition
Summary
The Evansville Common Council on July 28 adopted an amendment to the municipal nuisance code that expands what the city may classify as outdoor 'trash and debris,' enabling building authorities to remove additional materials from private properties after notice.
The Evansville Common Council on July 28 adopted Ordinance G 20 25-14, an amendment to Chapter 8.1 (Nuisance), expanding the municipal definition of “trash and debris” so building and code enforcement authorities can remove additional items from private property after required notice.
Council members opened the item for discussion with city and commission staff, who said the change targets items that previously fell outside the ordinance’s narrower definition. "We would run into issues, where we go to a property, obviously see some items listed as trash and debris by the old definition, mattresses, furniture... Then we'd run across items such as used car parts, scrap metal, the remains of wiring," said Rick Dolphin, code enforcement coordinator for the city and county. Dolphin said the ordinance does not change the notice process: property owners will still be given an opportunity to store or remove items before the city performs cleanup under the broadened definition.
Alyssa Nelson of the Area Plan Commission said APC and the Building Commission worked collaboratively to close a gap between zoning enforcement and nuisance enforcement: "We found out we think it's as simple as changing this definition," she said, explaining that APC enforces zoning but the Building Commission has greater authority to mitigate outdoor storage and clean up properties. Council members thanked staff and commissioners for the interagency work.
A roll-call vote recorded councilmembers Mosby, Hieronymus, Carruthers, Kayler Lindsey (attending remotely), Allen, Green, Johnson and Trockman as voting "aye." Council leadership announced the ordinance as adopted.
Why it matters: city staff said the change is intended to enable more thorough cleanups of properties where accumulation of nontraditional items—auto parts, scrap metal, wiring and similar materials—has been difficult to address under the prior text. Officials said the notice-and-removal process remains the same; the amendment expands the materials the city can classify as outdoor trash and remove if owners do not comply.
The ordinance was presented as a staff-initiated technical and enforcement update rather than a change in enforcement timeline or penalties. The council did not modify the notice procedure during the meeting.
The council adopted Ordinance G 20 25-14 during the regular agenda after a public and staff discussion. No appeals, legal challenges, or implementation dates were specified during the meeting.
The Council meeting packet lists the change as an amendment to Chapter 8.1, Article I, of the Evansville Municipal Code; the specific statutory citation appears on the ordinance included in the council materials.
