A. After notice to the owner and any responsible party, the judge shall conduct a hearing. Both the town and defendant(s) shall have an opportunity to be heard and present evidence. The rules of evidence shall not apply to these hearings but the judge may make rulings on the conduct of these hearings to ensure that they proceed in an orderly and efficient manner. The judge shall determine whether a violation of this title exists and order an abatement of the violation as appropriate in accordance with subsection B of this section. The court's determination shall be based on a preponderance of the evidence. If a defendant fails to appear for a hearing, the court shall hold the hearing in the defendant's absence. If the town fails to appear for a hearing, the court shall dismiss the petition without prejudice.
B. Upon finding that abatement is appropriate, the court may order demolition, board-up, cleanup, inspection or any other action the court deems reasonably necessary to abate the violation.
C. Demolition of a structure shall only be ordered following issuance of notice as required by subsection A of this section to the owner and any responsible parties with an interest in the property that is recorded in the office of the county recorder and in accordance with this title. Notice to the interested parties may be recorded against the property.
E. The notice required in subsection A shall generally comply with Rule 4 of the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, except that upon petition by the town attorney the court may, upon a finding of good cause, deem the notice requirement satisfied by notice being posted in a conspicuous location on the subject property.
F. The provisions of chapter 18-6 of this title do not apply to abatements brought under this section.