(a) "Abandoned" means, for purposes of this section, a structure that has not been occupied for any period of time during which the Village has not been able to communicate with or locate an owner or party with the legal authority to be in control of the property, and after the Village has made reasonable attempts to communicate with or locate the owner or a party in control.
(b) "Blight" means a premises, because of its age, obsolescence, dilapidation, deterioration, lack of maintenance or repair or occurrence of drug offenses, prostitution, gambling and other criminal acts which constitute public nuisances at the premises or any combination thereof, after lawfully issued citations or violation notices, constitutes an apparent fire hazard, place of retreat for immoral and criminal purposes constituting a public nuisance or repeated and serious breaches of the peace, health hazard, public use and enjoyment of other premises within the neighborhood, or a factor seriously depreciating property values in the neighborhood.
(c) "Dwelling", "house" or "residential structure" shall be considered used or occupied when one or more persons shall use such structure for habitation, business or other such use, and such persons use or spend more than twelve hours in any single day within the boundaries of the property on which the house, commercial, or other residential structure is located.
(d) "Unsafe building" means all buildings or structures which are structurally unsafe, which are not provided with adequate egress, which constitute a fire hazard, which are otherwise dangerous to human life, or which, in relation to existing use, constitute a hazard to health by reasons of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, or obsolescence. All such unsafe buildings are declared to be public nuisances, and shall be abated by repair and rehabilitation, or by demolition in accordance with the procedure of this chapter.
(e) "Occupied" means the presence of a person or persons either living in a structure and using some portion thereof as a dwelling unit, or working in a structure and using some portion of the structure for the operation of a business.
(f) "Vacant" means, for purposes of this section, a structure that has not been occupied for a period of six (6) consecutive months or more, except a structure shall not be considered vacant if it is only seasonally not occupied and such period is less than twelve (12) months. (A structure shall be considered vacant for the purposes of this section even if it is being maintained on the exterior, and even if the owner of the property is actively attempting to sell or rent the property.)
(Ord. 2019-42. Passed 9-11-19.)