(a) The City will monitor property on a monthly basis to verify compliance with this chapter and the International Property Maintenance Code.
(1) An owner of a vacant or abandoned property that has been monitored for a minimum of one year and having no exterior violations during that time may request in writing to have monitoring conducted quarterly and monitoring fees adjusted accordingly.
(2) A vacant or abandoned property under quarterly monitoring that is found to have two or more exterior violations within a rolling calendar year, or receives a citation for any exterior code violation(s), will revert back to monthly monitoring.
(b) A vacant or abandoned structure must be secure from casual entry and trespass as outlined herein. A property owner shall repair or replace unsecured doors and windows or install plywood boarding or its equivalent over all points of entry on an abandoned structure such that all exterior openings suitable for animal or human entry are secured. If securing is done using exterior grade plywood or its equivalent it must be completed as follows:
(1) Any first story and ground accessible points of entry shall be secured by use of exterior grade plywood or its equivalent, of at least one-half inch thickness, cut to the size of the opening and secured by the use of two-inch long screws.
(2) Any entry points above the first story or not accessible from ground level, such shall be secured by use of exterior grade plywood or its equivalent of at least one-half inch thickness, cut to the size of the opening and secured by the use of 16 penny common nails or two inch long screws.
(3) Any bare wood surface shall be painted the same or similar color of the surrounding surface.
(c) A City order to secure a vacant or abandoned structure shall be complied with by the owner within 72 hours. If the securing has not been completed or does not comply with the requirements for securing the structure under this chapter, the City may secure the structure and the City shall bill the owner of record for all costs incurred, including service fee and administrative costs. The amount so billed shall constitute a personal debt of the owner and may be recovered in the same manner as permitted for the recovery of fees under this chapter.
(Ord. 22-05. Passed 9-20-05; Ord. 04-2016. Passed 5-17-16.)