Executive Summary
Vacant properties pose health and safety risks, threaten the value of adjacent properties, destabilize neighborhoods, and frustrate local economic recovery efforts. Many Illinois municipalities report that one of these strategies, a vacant building ordinance, is an especially effective way to address these challenges. Vacant building ordinances are a useful supplement to code enforcement efforts. They help to quickly identify who is responsible for problem properties. In addition, new fees and fines for noncompliance get the attention of responsible parties and help get problems resolved more quickly.
Most vacant building ordinances have very similar requirements: (1) They require owners to register vacant buildings with the municipality and provide contact information for someone responsible for the property. Many also require financial institutions with a legal interest in the property to register if the owner cannot be found. This helps local governments identify who is responsible for a vacant property and contact them quickly when necessary. (2) Most require registrants to pay a registration fee, which helps local governments offset the substantial costs they incur when dealing with vacant property challenges. These fees can be used to motivate responsible parties to act quickly to address troubled properties. (3) Many also require registrants to maintain, secure, and insure vacant properties as well as to prepare and implement plans to demolish them or return them to productive use.
With vacant building ordinances flourishing in Illinois and around the country, this report draws on a wealth of experience from municipal officials and staff working on the frontlines to address vacant property challenges to highlight some of the most important lessons they have learned.
