Beaumont advances ordinance to expand vacant and abandoned property registry citywide

Beaumont City Council held a public hearing Dec. 2 and voted to hold a first reading and advance an ordinance expanding the city’s vacant-and-abandoned property registry to apply citywide and to all property types.

Community Development staff said the registry was adopted following the foreclosure crisis in the early 2000s and previously applied only to residential properties. The draft ordinance would expand the registry to nonresidential parcels to improve ownership accountability and expedite cleanup of blight and attractive nuisances. Staff clarified proposed definitions: an 'abandoned' property would be one with no activity for more than 90 days; distressed conditions such as lack of weed abatement could trigger daily inspection fees in addition to violation fines. The planning commission requested clarity around fee tiers; staff explained the collection effort is consistent regardless of property size but will follow up on fee study questions.

Council sought information on how staff determine ownership changes and how quickly new owners are notified; staff said they rely on county records, permit-tracking systems and title searches when registry data are incomplete. The motion to hold the hearing and advance the ordinance to a future adoption vote passed on a roll-call vote.