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Council discusses vacant building registration ordinance and penalties
Summary
Crewe officials discussed drafting a vacant building registration ordinance enabled by the General Assembly that would require owners of qualifying vacant buildings to register annually, set a registration fee up to $100 and civil penalties for failure to register up to $200 (or $400 in designated areas). Council asked staff to draft ordinance language for future consideration.
Council spent significant time discussing a vacant building registration ordinance authorized under recent changes at the General Assembly. Staff explained that a building vacant for a continuous 12 months that meets the definition of derelict or criminal blight, or that is occupied without owner authorization, could be required to register annually and that an annual registration fee could be imposed to defray processing costs.
"If a building has been vacant for a continuous period of 12 months or more ... the locality can adopt an ordinance that would require the owners to register such building on an annual basis and may impose an annual registration fee not to exceed $100," the town manager explained. Council members asked follow-up questions about the practical effect of a modest fee and noted the registration is intended to produce a usable inventory for enforcement and remediation rather than to be punitive.
