Property Maintenance and Clean-Up Programs
Contents
- About Property Maintenance
- Programs to Clean Up Property
- Sample Property Maintenance Ordinance Provisions
- Related MRSC Pages
About Property Maintenance
The failure to maintain property directly impacts property values of adjacent property and, in the worst case, can provide an area that attracts criminal activities. To protect a neighborhood from deterioration, a number of local governments have established property maintenance standards. There is a limit, however, on how far a jurisdiction may go in regulating unsightly areas on private property. It is an open question in this state whether our courts would uphold a beautification ordinance or a property maintenance or appearance code if the regulation is based purely upon aesthetic grounds. Some cities wrap a general nuisance ordinance in language that addresses property standards, such as the example from SeaTac. The premise is that failure to provide minimum maintenance creates unsanitary and unsafe conditions, negatively impacts the aesthetic value of the community, and reduces property values.
Washington court cases, such as Lenci v. City of Seattle, 63 Wn.2d 664, 677-678 (1964), Polygon Corp. V. City of Seattle, 90 Wn.2d 59, 70 (1978), and Duckworth v. City of Bonney Lake, 91 Wn.2d 19, 30 (1978), indicate that municipal regulations may be based in part on aesthetic considerations. However, these cases suggest that there must also be public health, safety, or welfare issues present in order to justify a municipal regulation under the police power.
Local governments considering property standards need to work with legal counsel to make sure that the necessary procedural requirements are included in any public nuisance or property maintenance ordinance and that staff responsible for enforcement receive the necessary training.
Programs to Clean Up Property
- Bellevue Neighborhood Fitness
- Black Diamond Spring Special Collection and Recycling Event (
) - Notice from Newsletter
- Wilbur Resolution No. 262 (), passed 03/2003 - Hauling Rates for Cleanup Days
- Wilbur Resolution No. 269 (), passed 06/2003 - Brush pit available without charge on clean-up days
- Bremerton Code Enforcement/Abatement Program ()
- Grays Harbor Paint the Corridor, Grays Harbor 2020 - One-day painting event for volunteers to paint the homes of those in the community who are in need
- Kenmore Park Cleanup and Volunteer Appreciation Event () - Notice from Newsletter
- Seattle
- Keep Seattle Clean
- Clean Up Your Act Program
- Tacoma CARES - Cleanup And Revitalization Efforts
- Vancouver Sparkles Award
- Yakima Citizen Code Review Committee/Enhanced Code Enforcement Program (), AWC 2000 Municipal Achievement Award Entry
- Youth in Action: Community Cleanup, OJJD Bulletin No. 09, 07/2009
Sample Property Maintenance Ordinance Provisions
- Arlington Municipal Code Ch. 16.24 () - 2003 International Property Maintenance Code
- Kennewick Municipal Code Ch. 9.44 () - Environmental Conservation Code
- Lynnwood Municipal Code Ch. 16.08 - Regulation and Abatement of Unsafe and Unsanitary Structures
- North Bend Municipal Code Ch. 19.24 - Historic District - Minimum Maintenance
- SeaTac Municipal Code Ch. 7.15 - Property Maintenance
- SeaTac Municipal Code Ch. 13.210 - Property Maintenance (International Property Maintenance Code)
- Seattle Housing and Building Maintenance Code (), effective 03/23/2003
- Spokane Municipal Code Ch. 17F.070 - Existing Building and Property Conservation Code
- Vancouver Municipal Code Ch. 17.14 - Minimum Property Maintenance Code