(A) All buildings registered in the Vacant Building Registration Program shall be inspected by the Building Official within 12 months of registration in the program. Yearly inspections by the city shall be made to ensure continued compliance. If in the event the property passes inspections without violations on two successive yearly initial inspections, the property would be allowed a grace period of two years with the follow up city inspection on year three from the most recent initial inspection. Subsequent passed third year inspections would allow for continued city inspections every third year. If at any inspection the building(s) fail(s) to pass minimum maintenance standards, yearly inspections will be required until the building(s) pass(es) inspections for two successive years. Any year, a city inspection is not required the owner must submit a self-performed inspection log.
(B) Monthly inspections shall be performed by the owner or the owner’s designee to ensure the required minimum maintenance standards are being met and said person shall keep a detailed log of findings upon inspection and repairs completed post inspection. If inspection logs are submitted as checked monthly and maintained but do not match the Building Official’s records of hazards or failure to maintain, the owner shall accrue a fee for failure to secure and maintain.
(C) Copies of monthly logs shall be submitted to the office of the building official annually at the time of registration. If a property is sold, the new owner must acquire the log of previous inspections from the seller and submit them with registration.
(D) If a building is found to be maintaining a violation of the minimum maintenance standards by the Building Official, the owner shall be given 30 days to correct the violations. The Building Official may grant an extension based on the severity of work to be completed; provided, the structure will not continue to deteriorate during the time allotted. If the owner fails to make adequate repairs within the time allotted, the procedure for failure to secure and maintain shall be followed.
(E) The Building Official is authorized and directed to inspect any buildings and premises located within the city for the purpose of enforcing and assuring compliance with this chapter, with the inspection to include only those items which can be inspected by lawful means. In the event the Building Official has reason to believe that a code violation may exist within a building, he or she is authorized and directed to inspect the remainder of the building and premises. The owner of every building may, upon request of the Building Official, give the Building Official complete access to the building and premises at reasonable times for the purpose of inspection. In the event access to the premises is refused, the Building Official with the assistance of the City Attorney may obtain an administrative search warrant from a court of competent jurisdiction in order to gain access to the premises.
(Ord. D-87, passed 5-3-2022)