A. General: The owner or mortgage lender who has acquired title to a vacant building shall register the building with the Director, on a form provided by the Director and pay the required nonprorated vacant building registration and initial inspection fee. The form shall include, as a minimum, the name, street address, e-mail address and telephone number of the owner; the case name and number of any litigation pending concerning or affecting the building, including bankruptcy cases; and the name, street address, e-mail address, and telephone number of all persons and financial institutions/lenders with any legal financial interest in the building or the premises. The form shall require the owner to identify a natural person twenty one (21) years of age or older who maintains a permanent address in DuPage County, Illinois, to accept service on behalf of the owner with respect to any notices the Director sends pursuant to this chapter or service of process in any proceeding commenced to enforce any provision of this chapter, and file with the Director on the registration form, the name, street address, e-mail address, telephone number, of said person. A street address is required. A post office box is not an acceptable address.
The form shall require the owner to indicate his or her "acceptance of notice by posting", consenting to service of notices sent or required to be sent, pursuant to this chapter, by posting on the building if the owner fails to renew the registration, if required, or maintain as current with the Director the information required regarding the person designated to accept notice and service of process.
The obligation to register vacant buildings shall extend to mortgage lenders that have obtained title to unoccupied buildings through a mortgage foreclosure action. Mortgage lenders shall register unoccupied buildings with the Director within fifteen (15) days of obtaining title to same.
Registration does not exonerate the owner from compliance with all applicable codes and ordinances, including this chapter, nor does it preclude any of the actions the City is authorized to take pursuant to this chapter or elsewhere in this Code.
B. Renewal And Amended Registration Requirements: The owner of a vacant building shall renew the vacant building registration each year no later than the anniversary date of the first registration filing; and file an amended registration within fifteen (15) days of any change in the information contained in the annual registration. A new registration is required for any change in ownership whatsoever.
C. Fees: The initial vacant building registration and inspection fee shall be one hundred seventy five dollars ($175.00). The annual renewal registration fee shall be one hundred dollars ($100.00). There is no charge to update the owner's registration information. (Ord. O2017-38, 6-19-2017)