Evansville building commission affirms multiple vacate, raise and repair orders, sets inspection and repair deadlines

Evansville — The Evansville building commission’s hearing officer, Ryan Schultz, affirmed a series of enforcement actions at the commission’s March 20, 2025 hearing, ordering the raising or vacating of multiple unsafe structures, affirming emergency vacate orders where utilities were inactive, and setting deadlines for repair plans and follow-up inspections.

Schultz said the hearing panel had authority under local unsafe-building ordinances and state enabling code to act: “My authority is derived from median code 36Dash7Dash9,” he told those present. He repeatedly invoked that authority when issuing rulings and setting compliance deadlines.

Why it matters: The commission’s decisions affect property owners, tenants and nearby neighborhoods by removing structures the city deems hazardous, ordering repairs and establishing timelines that, if unmet, can lead to city-ordered demolition (raising) or civil penalties.

Key outcomes

- 335 South Parker Avenue (CE 23CE129): Hearing officer Schultz ordered that the detached garage be raised. The owner, Patrick Barnett, told the commission he planned to “raise the garage” and obtain permits; Schultz said he would order an on-site and interior inspection of the house and take the house vacate order under advisement pending that inspection, scheduled for Monday, March 24 at 10 a.m. “I m gonna order that that the garage be raised,” Schultz said during the hearing.

- 651 East Riverside Drive (CE 24CE170): The commission required the new owner, PD 23 LLC (closing dated 02/28/2025), to submit a repair plan with a timeframe to Inspector Knox within 10 days; the hearing officer said failure to provide a plan could lead to the next enforcement steps.

- 1307 Cumberland Avenue (23CE225): Inspector Allen reported a submitted plan with licensed contractors; the commission agreed to modify an upgrade/raise order to a repair order by agreement and set a progress return date of May 22, 2025.

- 1113 North Elliott Street (25CE39): The commission affirmed the existing vacate and raise orders after inspectors described interior structural defects, an open front door and safety hazards. The hearing officer said the property met statutory bases for enforcement and affirmed both the raise and vacate orders.

- Emergency vacates affirmed for lack of utilities: Hearing officers affirmed emergency vacate orders where utility providers confirmed inactive service at multiple addresses, including 622 East Columbia Street (owner Scottsdale REI LLC), 626 East Columbia Street (owner Mark Osborne), 715 Colbert Avenue (owner Marvin Pancake) and 1602 Eulehorn/Ewellhorn Street (owner Rebecca Motler). Inspectors cited inactive gas/electric and water service and, in some cases, evidence of unsafe interior conditions.

- Continuances and follow-ups: Several matters were continued to give property owners or purchasers time to supply plans or to permit site inspections. Examples: 102 West Michigan Street (vacate/raise) was continued to April 24 after staff agreed to let the family prepare a plan; 114 East Tennessee Street was continued 30 days with an on-site inspection ordered; multiple other cases were returned to later hearings for progress reports.

Process and next steps

Inspectors presented photo exhibits, title searches and, in some cases, engineering reports as evidence. Where owners or prospective purchasers presented acceptable planning documents or on-the-record agreements, the commission either modified raise orders to repair orders with strict timelines or agreed to short continuances. For properties where no plan or contact was provided, the commission either kept raise/vacate orders in place or referred matters for further enforcement.

What commissioners and inspectors said

Inspector Allen, speaking about a fire-damaged house and detached garage at 335 South Parker, recommended “to raise both the house and the garage,” while the owner said he intended to obtain permits and “raise the garage.” Inspector Knox told the commission that PD 23 LLC, the new owner of 651 East Riverside, had said it would get permits and was told to provide a repair plan with timeframe within 10 days.

The hearing officer repeatedly emphasized the limited flexibility the commission can grant when deadlines and prior hearing opportunities have passed: he warned that missed deadlines or failure to meet tight timeframes would likely result in the commission carrying out a raise order.

Ending note

Owners or agents who disagree with a hearing officer’s determination were reminded of appeal rights — Schultz said at the start of the docket that appeals may be filed in Vanderburgh County Superior Court within 10 days of a decision. Many of the continued matters have return dates in April or May for progress reports; several larger repair schedules require follow-up in September or December if owners meet interim benchmarks.