West Haven, CT Code Violation Reporting: Common Violations (2026)

The most common violations in the City of West Haven are the conditions that make a property blighted under § 129-2 of the City Code, adopted by the City Council in 2012. A building, structure or parcel of land is blighted when at least one of six conditions exists: it is becoming dilapidated as documented by the Building Official; it or its business is attracting illegal activity as documented by the Police Department; the Building Official or Director of Health finds a serious threat to safety, health, morals and general welfare; it is not being maintained; it is a factor causing serious depreciation of neighborhood property values; or it substantially and unreasonably interferes with the use and enjoyment of other premises.

The neglect condition is itemized: missing or boarded windows or doors, collapsing or missing walls, roofs or floors, seriously damaged or missing siding, a structurally faulty foundation, solid waste, garbage, trash, rubbish, abandoned and inoperable boats or motor vehicles (unless the site is a state-licensed junkyard), and overgrown grass or weeds at least eight inches in length. Related sections add specific violations. Section 129-3 covers grass, weeds, hazardous trees, obstructive landscaping, and unmaintained swimming pools. Section 129-6 limits unregistered vehicles and boats on residential property.

Section 129-7 bars graffiti and requires the owner or occupant to remove it within five business days after it is discovered or should have been discovered. Section 129-8 authorizes the Building Official, West Haven Police officers, the Zoning Enforcement Officer, and Property Maintenance Inspectors to enforce. Whoever issues a citation prepares a report with the name of the person or entity cited, the date, the property address and a description of the condition, and delivers it to the Fire Department for the district, the Building Department, the Police Department, the Zoning Office, the Public Works Department, the Health Department, and the Corporation Counsel Office.

Citations follow Chapter 128: the cited person has 10 days to demand a hearing, and the Board of Police Commissioners hears appeals on blight citations.