(A) The owners of property within the unincorporated areas of the county shall, at such time or times as the building inspector for the county or other agent of the governing body of the county may prescribe, remove, repair or secure any building, wall or any other structure which might endanger the public health or safety of other residents of the county.
(B) The governing body of the county, through its agents or employees, may remove, repair or secure any building, wall or any other structure which might endanger the public health or safety of other residents of such locality, if the owner and lien holder of such property, after reasonable notice and a reasonable time to do so, has failed to remove, repair or secure the building, wall or other structure. For purposes of this section, repair may include maintenance work to the exterior of a building to prevent deterioration of the building or adjacent buildings. For purposes of this section, reasonable notice includes a written notice (i) mailed by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, sent to the last known address of the property owner and (ii) published once a week for two successive weeks in a newspaper having general circulation in the locality. No action shall be taken by the locality to remove, repair or secure any building, wall or other structure for at least 30 days following the later of the return of the receipt or newspaper publication.
(C) In the event the governing body of the county, through its agents or employees, removes, repairs or secures any building, wall or any other structure after complying with the notice provisions of this section, the cost or expenses thereof shall be chargeable to and paid by the owners of such property and may be collected by the county as taxes are collected.
(D) Every charge authorized by this section with which the owner of any such property has been assessed and which remains unpaid shall constitute a lien against such property ranking on a parity with liens for unpaid local taxes and enforceable in the same manner as provided in VA Code Title 58.1, Chapter 39, Articles 3 and 4, §§ 58.1-3940 et seq. and §§ 58.1-3965 et seq. The Board of Supervisors may waive such liens in order to facilitate the sale of the property. Such liens may be waived only as to a purchaser who is unrelated by blood or marriage to the owner and who has no business association with the owner. All such liens shall remain a personal obligation of the owner of the property at the time the liens were imposed.
(E) In addition to any other penalties which may be assessable against the owner of property subject to the provisions of this section, such owner or any other individual shall be subject to a civil penalty, not to exceed a total of $1,000, for any violation of this section.
(Ord. passed 4-11-2005)