Evansville hearing officer affirms vacate, raise and repair orders for dozens of properties; several compliance dates set

Hearing Officer Michael Durianzo opened the Evansville, Vanderburgh County Building Commission hearing on May 22 and affirmed a series of code-enforcement rulings, including vacate, raise and repair orders for numerous properties across Evansville.

The session focused on individual property cases brought by city inspectors and coordinators under the city's unsafe-building enforcement procedures. Durianzo, acting as the pro tem hearing officer, reminded attendees that his authority derives from Indiana Code 36-7-9 and local unsafe-building ordinances and that decisions may be appealed to the Van Buren Superior Court within 10 days.

Why it matters: The commission's rulings set deadlines for repairs, authorize demolition (raise) where inspectors found structures unsafe, and put civil penalties under advisement in multiple cases. Those outcomes affect property owners, neighboring residents and the timeline for any demolition or repair work.

Most consequential rulings

- The hearing officer affirmed vacate and raise orders for 102 West Michigan Street, a property owned by the Vanderburgh Jacobsville 18 Hundreds Historical Preservation Trust. Coordinator Dauphin described structural problems including "bricks collapsing, mortar missing, [and] the sill plate is rotted and deteriorated," and the hearing officer found that notices had been sent to the property and previously recorded owners before a warranty deed was recorded (trust ownership was recorded May 19, 2024). The trust's request for a 60-day continuance was denied and the vacate/raise orders were affirmed.

- Fire-damaged properties and other hazards: The commission affirmed vacate and raise…