(a) All buildings located within the Village that are currently vacant residential, commercial, manufacturing, or industrial buildings, as defined herein, on the date this chapter becomes effective, shall be registered by the owner or person in control thereof with the Village Zoning Department, and thereafter shall be registered annually no later than December 31st of every year that the building is vacant. Every building that becomes vacant shall be registered by the owner or person in control thereof with the Zoning Department within ninety days from the date of the last occupancy, or within thirty days of being notified by the Zoning Department of a requirement to register based on evidence of vacancy, and thereafter shall be registered annually no later than December 31st of every year that the building is vacant.
(b) Registration shall be made on forms provided by the Zoning Department and verified by the owner or person in control of the vacant building and shall contain all of the following:
(1) The name, address, and telephone number of the owner or person in control;
(2) The name, address, and telephone number of the authorized agent, if required;
(3) The names, addresses, and telephone numbers of all known lien-holders and all other parties with any legal interest in the vacant building;
(4) If the vacant building is for sale, the name, address, and telephone number of the company and the realtor or agent responsible for marketing the property;
(5) The address of the vacant building and the permanent parcel tax identification number of the land on which the vacant residential, commercial, manufacturing, or industrial building is located;
(6) The date on which the building first became vacant;
(7) A vacant building plan in accordance with Section 1246.07.
(c) No person shall furnish false information to the Zoning Department in the registration form.
(d) Registration shall be valid until December 31st of each year.
(e) No owner or person in control of a vacant building shall fail to notify the Zoning Department and file an amended registration form within seven days of any change in the registration information required by this section.
(f) Disaster affected properties, buildings under active construction and/or renovation with a valid current building permit, buildings listed for sale with a licensed realtor or broker, and buildings with a publicly visible "For Lease and/or For Rent" sign prominently posted on the building with an accessible contact number must file this form and pay the annual filing fee, but are exempt from paying any additional vacancy-related fees for twelve months from the date of filing, unless otherwise determined to be ineligible under law. To qualify for an exemption, the owner must submit a request for an exemption in writing to the Zoning Department. To qualify for any exemption, all real estate taxes shall be current for the property, there must be no outstanding and/or past due fines or fees due the Village in connection with the property, there must be on file with the Village a current approved vacant building plan under Section 1246.07, and the property and building must not be in violation of any zoning or building code requirements, or any other provisions of these Codified Ordinances.
(g) Owners of partially occupied residential duplexes or of partially occupied multifamily dwellings, and owners of partially occupied commercial plazas must file a registration form for each vacant unit, but are exempt from paying a registration fee for any vacant units for twenty-four months from the date of first filing, unless otherwise determined to be ineligible under law. To qualify for an exemption, each of the vacant units in the building must display a publicly visible "For Lease and/or For Rent" sign prominently posted on the building with an accessible contact number, and the owner must submit a request for an exemption in writing to the Zoning Department with the registration form. To qualify for any exemption, all real estate taxes shall be current for the entire property, there must be no outstanding and/or past due fines or fees due the Village in connection with the entire property, there must be on file with the Village a current approved vacant building plan under Section 1246.07, and the entire property and building must not be in violation of any zoning or building code requirements, or any other provisions of these Codified Ordinances.
(h) This section shall not apply to any owner-occupied residential buildings determined to be temporarily vacant as defined in this chapter.
(Ord. 2019-19. Passed 2-24-20; Ord. 14-2022. Passed 9-12-22.)