9-5.3 Registration Required and Fee.
a. The owner of a vacant building shall register the building with the Department, on a form furnished by the Department, within ten (10) days after either of the following occur:
1. The building has been vacant for thirty (30) consecutive days; or
2. A notice of default has been recorded.
The owner shall pay an annual registration fee which shall be due when the owner submits the registration form. Annual renewal registrations shall be due on July 1st in the year following the initial registration. The annual registration fee shall be paid on or before the annual renewal date or building and the property owner shall submit a registration renewal form with the fee.
b. The following information shall be provided with the initial registration form:
1. Street address of the vacant building and parcel number of the real property as designated by the Lake County Assessor.
2. Name, mailing address, and telephone number of the property owner and when applicable, the agent of the owner; the executor of the estate and its trustees, grantors, and beneficiaries; the partners with a financial interest exceeding ten (10%) percent of the assessed value of the building; the principals of an unincorporated association; and the agent for service of process on file with the California Secretary of State for a firm, corporation, limited liability company, or limited partnership.
3. A description of the methods by which the owner has secured the property against unauthorized entry.
4. A completed “statement of intent” form provided by the Department setting forth the expected period of vacancy and plans for the property, including plans to rehabilitate, maintain, sell or demolish the property.
5. Written report in format acceptable to the Department of an interior and exterior inspection of the premises by a Department approved local individual or firm attesting to the conditions of the property, including exterior blight, interior occupancy, utility service, and secured openings, and a written plan detailing the means, methods, and times for periodic inspections and the local individual or firm who shall be responsible for assuring compliance with the provisions of this section. The Department may require completion of a form created by the Department to collect information regarding the inspection in a standardized format.
6. The name, address and twenty-four (24) hour contact information for a person or firm who shall be responsible for conducting periodic inspections of the premises, maintaining the exterior free of blight and compliance with all provisions of this Code, securing the building against unauthorized entry and responding immediately to contact from emergency responders and the public. This information shall be updated within forty-eight (48) hours of any material change in contact information.
7. A certificate of liability insurance pursuant to the requirements of subsection 9-5.5.
8. Other information that the City may determine is necessary for the enforcement of the provisions of this section.
c. A property owner of a building subject to registration shall immediately notify the Department, in writing, of any material change in the status or condition of a vacant building or of information contained in the registration form. When the property is legally occupied, the property owner shall furnish the Enforcement Official an executed lease, deed or other proof of legal occupancy.
d. Whenever an enforcement official has reason to believe that a building is vacant and has not been registered as required, the official shall serve the owner of record or authorized agent with a written notice directing the owner to register the building pursuant to this subsection. A property owner shall within fourteen (14) days of service of the notice register the building or file an appeal with the Department. The written notice shall be served in the same manner set forth in subsection 1-9.5.
1. An appeal of a determination to register a property shall be handled in the same manner as an administrative hearing pursuant to Section 1-9.
2. All notices related to the placement of the property in the program and the fee and any additional report submitted by the Enforcement Official shall constitute prima facie evidence of the respective facts contained in those documents. At the hearing, the party contesting the placement of the building into the program shall be given the opportunity to testify and to present evidence concerning the penalty.
3. In addition to other criminal and civil remedies available to the City, a property owner who fails to register the property in accordance with subsection (d) of this section shall be subject to an administrative penalty of five hundred ($500.00) dollars for the first violation. They shall be subject to an additional fine of one thousand ($1,000.00) dollars every thirty (30) days the property remains subject to registration but has not been registered.
e. A property owner of a building that became vacant prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section shall register the building within fourteen (14) days of the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section.
f. The fee for initial registration shall be one hundred ($100.00) dollars plus twelve dollars and fifty cents ($12.50) per month or portion of a month until July 1st. The fee for the first annual renewal and for each year thereafter shall be two hundred and fifty ($250.00) dollars.
g. A property owner of a building subject to registration shall provide access to the City to conduct inspections of the property, both interior and exterior, as deemed necessary by the City, following reasonable notice, to determine compliance with this section and any other relevant codes, ordinances of the City or State law. (Ord. #230-2019, S2)