Hopkinsville board declares 1704 South Virginia unsafe, orders occupants to vacate and authorizes abatement

The Hopkinsville Code of Ordinance Enforcement Board on May 12 found the duplex at 1704 South Virginia an unsafe structure and ordered all occupants to vacate and the city to abate the property.

Chair David Howe opened the public hearing and Mark DeArmond, a code-enforcement officer with the Hopkinsville Fire Department, presented years of inspection history and photographs showing severe exterior and interior deterioration. DeArmond said the property had repeated citations dating to August 2024, water shutoffs in both units (Apartment A since June 2025; Apartment B since November 2025), energized and exposed circuit breaker boxes, holes in interior walls and floors, and extensive trash and debris. "This owner has allowed this property to be a become a nuisance," DeArmond said, and he reported the owner, Timothy Vandiver, had not contacted the city.

DeArmond told the board an anonymous caller had reported a 1-year-old child living in Apartment B earlier in April 2026; the child was later removed and a tenant signed consent for an interior inspection that day, he said. The inspector reported the structure met the city's unsafe-structure checklist (14 of 18 items, roughly 78%) and that the city had posted and mailed the April 16 citation with certified mail returned as delivered to the owner's address of record.

Board members discussed enforcement paths, including referral to the fire marshal under Kentucky Revised Statutes for occupancy removal. A board member moved and the board voted to declare the structure unsafe and require occupants to vacate; the board subsequently voted to assess the maximum fine in the ordinance range, a $200 administrative fee, and to have the city abate the property, including the accessory structure.

DeArmond reported liens and taxes on 1704 South Virginia totaling just over $13,000 and said Vandiver holds multiple Hopkinsville properties with combined back taxes and liens he listed as just over $92,000. The board's order includes abatement authority and assessment of fines and fees; because the owner was in default (not present and not in contact), the board indicated the city would proceed with abatement and recovery of costs through liens or other lawful means.

The board closed the hearing and carried the motions to find the structure unsafe and to proceed with penalties and abatement.