How Parma Handles Property Maintenance: A Practical Guide

Parma maintains 135 local ordinances across all categories, and 3 of those deal specifically with property maintenance. Here is a breakdown of what the city actually requires, what is prohibited, and where Parma falls on the strict-to-permissive spectrum compared to other cities.

Snow & Sidewalk Clearing

Parma requires property owners to clear snow and ice from public sidewalks abutting their property within a reasonable time after snowfall ends, typically 24 hours. Codified Ordinance 521.06 makes failure to clear a minor misdemeanor. Commercial properties face stricter expectations.

Key details: Ordinance: Parma CO 521.06. Timeframe: 24 hours after snowfall. Who: Abutting property owner. Fine: Up to 150 per day. City Clearing: Billed to owner.

First offense: warning and 24 hours to clear. Continued violation: minor misdemeanor, up to 150 dollars per day. City may clear and bill the property owner.

Property Blight

Parma's Building Commissioner can order a public nuisance building abated within 24 hours in urgent cases or 30 days otherwise, then abate it at the owner's expense and assess the cost against the property. Refusing a lawful abatement order is itself a misdemeanor of the first degree.

Key details: Summary abatement notice period: 24 hours. Standard abatement notice period: 30 days. Hearing demand window: 14 days after notice. Appeal window after Board decision: 5 days. Penalty class: First-degree misdemeanor.

Refusing to obey a lawful Building Commissioner order under Section 1527.05, or violating any provision of Chapter 1527, is a first-degree misdemeanor under Section 1527.99, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense. Abatement costs the City incurs become a lien-backed special assessment collected the same way as any other municipal assessment, and any sale proceeds from salvaged materials exceeding the abatement cost go back to the owner.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Parma actively enforces its property blight requirements.

Vacant Lot Maintenance

Parma can order the owner of any vacant or unimproved lot to fill or drain it and remove putrid substances, or to clear obstructions from culverts and drains, once the city serves or publishes formal notice. Section 660.23 gives owners a set compliance window before the failure to act itself becomes a separate offense.

Key details: Governing section: Codified Ordinances § 660.23. Trigger: City serves or publishes formal notice. Required actions: Fill/drain lot, remove putrid substances. Related authority: Ohio R.C. 715.47, culvert obstructions. Offense level: Minor misdemeanor.

Failing to comply with a fill, drain or putrid-substance removal notice under Section 660.23 is a minor misdemeanor, carrying up to a $150 fine under Section 698.02 and no jail exposure. The city may still pursue the underlying nuisance through separate cost-recovery authority if the condition is not corrected after notice.

The rules around vacant lot maintenance in Parma lean permissive, but that does not mean anything goes.

The Bottom Line

Parma's property maintenance rules are a mixed bag. Some areas are strict, others are relaxed, and the details matter. The best approach is to check the specific rule that applies to your situation rather than assuming Parma is broadly strict or permissive.

This guide is based on Parma's current municipal code. Local rules can and do change, so check the individual ordinance pages for the latest details, penalties, and FAQs.