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Owensboro reports 80 vacant structures; city outlines inspection, citation and demolition process
Summary
Property maintenance manager Joe Sublett told the Board on April 15 that 80 structures have been identified as vacant by complaint; most are minimally maintained, the city outlined complaint and enforcement steps, and officials said 15 vacant structures were demolished in the current fiscal year and several properties will be sold through mass
Joe Sublett, the city's property maintenance manager, told the Owensboro Board of Commissioners on April 15 that the city has identified 80 structures as vacant through complaints and inspections and described how the property-maintenance enforcement process works.
Sublett said the majority of the 80 properties are "minimally maintained" — meaning grass is kept at or below the 10-inch maximum under city ordinance — and are secured and largely free of junk. He described the complaint response process: an initial inspection with photographic evidence, direct contact with the property owner (preferably by phone), written notices posted on the property and mailed to the owner of record, and then, if necessary, citations and abatement actions. Sublett said a lien may be filed 30 days after a citation if violations are not corrected.
In immediate public-safety cases, Sublett said the ordinance allows the city to board and otherwise secure structures and to charge the property owner for costs. Reporting methods include the city website’s "How do I" tab, the CityAction email and a phone tip line (listed at 687-4444 during the presentation); Sublett emphasized that accurate parcel identification is important for staff to locate the property.
Sublett said evidence of vacancy under the ordinance includes overgrown vegetation, accumulation of mail or trash, disconnected utilities, lack of window coverings or furniture, and neighbor statements. He said structures with advanced deterioration may be demolished for public-safety reasons; 15 vacant structures were demolished funded through the property-maintenance budget in the current fiscal year and those sites are now grassed. He said some properties have been on the vacant list for up to eight years and that, so far in 2025, five properties have been added.
Sublett also described situations of unauthorized occupants who are removed and arrested in some cases, private foreclosure actions that remove properties from the list, and properties that have been renovated and returned to productive use. "Every circumstance is different and unique," Sublett said.
