(a) The purpose of the establishment of a Vacant Building Enforcement Program is to regulate the maintenance of properties which are in the foreclosure process, abandoned or vacant as it has been established that structures which are left vacant for extended periods of time have been shown to breed crime, pose public safety risks, and reduce property values and the economic viability of the community in which they are found. This program is intended to reduce and prevent neighborhood blight, to avoid the creation and maintenance of public nuisances, to ameliorate conditions that threaten the public, safety and welfare, to promote neighborhood safety and occupancy by preserving the condition and appearance of residential properties and the worth and activity of commercial and industrial properties, and to maintain property values and assessments. This program further establishes a means of identifying the owner and/or responsible entities of vacant and/or abandoned properties within the corporate limits of the City of Portsmouth; to determine the responsibilities of owners of vacant buildings and structures; to provide incentives for the rehabilitation and productive use of vacant buildings; to provide for the registration and certain maintenance requirements for vacant and/or abandon properties; and to otherwise shift the cost or burden of the existence of vacant residential and commercial structures from the general citizenry to the owners of the buildings.
(b) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to waive, relieve, or otherwise excuse an owner of property from compliance with all applicable codes, ordinances, statutes or laws and the owner shall at all times remain responsible and liable therefore. Further, nothing herein shall be construed to prevent the enforcement of other provisions of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Portsmouth or the Ohio Revised Code and nothing herein shall be construed to relieve an owner or interested party from duties imposed pursuant to any regulatory code, ordinance, statute, or law of the City of Portsmouth or the State of Ohio.
(Ord. 2021-55. Passed 8-23-21.)