Whenever the Board of Health certifies to the municipal legal officer any failure to comply with any order or notice of vacation, with the request that civil proceedings for the enforcement thereof be instituted, the municipal legal officer shall institute any and all proceedings, either legal or equitable, that may be appropriate or necessary for the enforcement of the order or notice and the abatement of the nuisance against which the order or notice was directed. These suits or proceedings shall be brought in the name of the municipality. Proceedings under this section shall not relieve any party defendant from criminal prosecution or punishment under this code or any other criminal law or ordinance in force within the municipality.