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Town of Bath adopts vacant-structure registry with escalating fees
Summary
On second reading the Town of Bath council adopted an ordinance establishing a vacant-structure registry with escalating annual fees (year 1: $500; year 6: $4,000 plus $300 per year thereafter) and a 30-day implementation window for administrative forms and enforcement.
The Town of Bath council voted to adopt the vacant-structure registry ordinance (Town of Bath Ordinance 2026-01-01) on its second reading, establishing a fee schedule for unoccupied buildings and an appeals process. Speaker 4 read the ordinance preamble, saying the town found unexpected and unmonitored vacant buildings can pose fire hazards and nuisances while undermining rehabilitation efforts.
The ordinance defines a vacant building as one with no resident owner/tenant, no operating business, utilities not operational and deemed unsafe by a town engineer, fire marshal or police chief. The fee schedule in the text sets year 1 at $500; year 2 at $1,000; years 3–5 increasing up to $3,000; year 6 at $4,000 and an additional $300 each year thereafter. The ordinance includes a due-process pathway: notice, ability to appeal to town council, and further appeal to the Morgan County Circuit Court. The council moved, seconded and approved the measure by voice vote; the motion carried and members said the town will create registry forms and begin implementation within 30 days.
"The town has found that an unexpected and unmonitored vacant building may present a fire hazard," Speaker 4 read from the ordinance preamble. Council members discussed administrative capacity before the vote; one member emphasized that the town must be able to enforce and administer the law and not let it be "a piece of paper" that is never used. The council recorded the motion and approved the ordinance on the floor.
