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City solicitor reports enforcement gains under vacant-building registration ordinance
Summary
City Solicitor Dave Zepczyk said 10 matters were resolved by administrative consent agreements since the last update, 77 properties have been newly identified by code enforcement, and the city is preparing to hire an attorney to accelerate litigation for unregistered properties; he explained the stepped letter-to-court enforcement process and the fee schedule (first registration $500; fees double every six months up to $4,000).
City Solicitor Dave Zepczyk gave a detailed update on enforcement of the vacant-building registration ordinance and related legal work.
"There have been 10 matters in the green section where it says resolved by ACA — administrative consent agreement — and last time I updated you there were four, so we resolved six matters by administrative consent agreement since then," Zepczyk said. He said 77 properties have been newly identified by code enforcement since the multi-department effort began and that the city is preparing a job description for a new attorney to litigate unregistered properties more quickly.
Zepczyk explained the enforcement pathway: reports or patrols prompt a code-enforcement inspection; owners are contacted to register; repeated letters escalate to a notice of violation and a "last chance" letter; many cases resolve by administrative consent agreement but unresponsive owners are served and may face land-use citation complaints and court actions. He clarified the ordinance defines "vacant" as "unlived in and not intended to be lived in for 60 days" and described civil penalties, attorney-fee awards under "state statute," and the public-safety purpose of registration and inspections.
On fees, Zepczyk said the first registration is $500, fees double every six months as long as a property remains vacant and are capped at $4,000. He also described a building-permit exception enacted by council amendment that defers payment for six months (with one possible six-month extension) while construction proceeds; fees that accrue may be waived if the property secures a certificate of occupancy within the deferral or extension period.
Why it matters: Enforcement is intended to bring properties back into productive use, protect neighbors and recover costs. The update included counts, policy clarifications and operational next steps (new attorney and ongoing multi-department coordination). Councilors asked for follow-up data on tax delinquencies among vacant properties and revenue from registration fees to better inform prioritization.
