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Committee defers vacant-property, 'board-up' and business-license enforcement drafts for operational review

DeKalb County Planning, Economic Development and Community Services Committee · December 10, 2025
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Summary

The committee discussed proposed amendments to DeKalb County’s property-maintenance and business-license codes to establish minimum standards for vacant properties, require board-up permits and provide a tool to revoke business licenses when owners allow violent criminal activity; staff requested a deferral to refine language and coordinate enforcement with police and planning departments.

Commissioner Robert Patrick asked attorneys to draft amendments to strengthen the county’s tools for addressing violent conduct on business properties and to create administrative pathways to revoke or suspend business licenses when owners allow or foster violent criminal activity. Senior assistant county attorney Noah Priest briefed the committee on a draft that would amend Chapter 15 (business licensure code) to add revocation/suspension authority tied to violent and high-aggravated-misdemeanor conduct and to streamline administrative hearings.

The committee then turned to a related item to establish minimum standards for vacant property and to require property owners to apply for a board-up permit (item 2024-1239/1237). Planning and sustainability staff and code-enforcement directors briefed commissioners on operational issues, noting the need to align permitting, enforcement workflows and hearing/appeal processes. Staff asked for a brief deferral (30 days) to reconcile language with department processes, coordinate with police investigations and produce a final draft for the committee’s next meeting.

Committee members agreed a short deferral would allow departmental input and refinement rather than releasing a draft out-of-sync with operational capacity; the committee voted to defer and asked staff to circulate updated drafts and operational comments to commissioners prior to the next meeting.

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