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Cleveland revises nuisance ordinance; officials report 71 warning letters and 14 nuisance declarations since June
Summary
The safety committee heard an update on the city’s criminal-activity nuisance ordinance (codified 6.30.01–6.30.02), including enforcement mechanics: three qualifying criminal activities in a year trigger a warning letter, fines escalate if abatement plans are not submitted, and staff reported 71 warning letters and 14 declared nuisances since June.
Assistant Director Jason Schachner told the Cleveland City Council safety committee that amendments to the criminal-activity nuisance ordinance have changed enforcement practice and produced measurable results since they were implemented.
Under the ordinance, a property that has three enumerated criminal activities within a year receives a warning letter and must submit an abatement plan. If the owner fails to provide a plan, the ordinance authorizes escalating fines (for example, $100 per day initially; higher fines for repeat violations) and, ultimately, nuisance declaration. Schachner said the changes clarified that probable cause — not necessarily a citation observed in person — can support a nuisance proceeding (for example, by relying on complainant interviews or video evidence).
Between 2019 and 2024 declared nuisances fell dramatically (2019: 9; 2020: 8; 2021: 6; 2022: 2; 2023: 1; 2024: 0), Schachner said. Since the ordinance change in June, staff have issued 71 warning letters and declared 14 properties nuisances. Schachner described administrative steps taken to restore a monthly spot-check cadence and a new internal form that allows officers or commanders to document qualifying events and populate a central database for follow-up.
Councilmembers pressed staff about implementation in specific neighborhoods, citing persistent junkyards along Miles Avenue, repeated retail thefts at local stores and difficulties contacting absentee owners (one owner of record was said to be located in Israel). Schachner and the director said the city is adopting an "all-of-government" approach that coordinates police, building and housing, and health inspectors and noted that unpaid nuisance fines may be certified to property taxes if not resolved.
The committee also asked that staff circulate the relevant codified ordinances (6.30.01 and 6.30.02) and provide clearer ward-level reports so councilmembers can track outcomes in their districts.
