Albany, OR Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Chapter 8.17 of the Albany Municipal Code runs eight sections and gives the City of Albany, Oregon its main tool against vacant, decaying buildings. Section 8.17.010 makes a derelict building or structure on any property unlawful. Section 8.17.020 defines the term: a building, structure, or property that, as a result of disuse and neglect, is unfit for human habitation, poses an incipient hazard, or is detrimental to public health, safety or welfare. The city manager or a designee decides based on the number and extent of nine listed factors, among them unoccupied and unsecured, dilapidation, structural defects noted by the building official, defects increasing the hazard of fire, infestation of pests, and no utility service to maintain sanitary conditions.

Once a building is found in violation, § 8.17.030 directs the city manager or a designee to start abatement proceedings under Chapter 8.37, order the property vacated, and require the owner or agent to register it. The posted placard must describe the premises, state why it was posted, give a correction order allowing 30 days for repairs and improvements, and warn that the City can abate the nuisance and charge the responsible person. Entering a posted structure without the consent of the code official is unlawful under § 8.17.040, and § 8.17.050 bars anyone from defacing a placard or removing it without approval.

Registration under § 8.17.070 is due within 10 days of the order to register. The form asks for the location and ownership, the expected period of vacancy, a maintenance plan during the vacancy, and a plan for reoccupancy or for remediation or demolition. Changes must be reported within 30 days. An owner can ask in writing for more time, the city decides within 10 business days, and the grant is at the sole discretion of the city manager or a designee.

Where the hazard is imminent, § 8.17.060 lets the city manager or a designee order work such as boarding openings before abatement proceedings start, and § 8.17.080 allows the City to secure the property pending repair or demolition. Chapter 8.37 sets the ordinary process: notice posted on the premises and delivered or mailed, 10 days to abate, and 10 days to appeal in writing, with the appeal heard by the municipal court. Abatement cost is the direct cost of removal plus 30 percent for administrative overhead, and unpaid cost becomes a lien recorded with Linn County or Benton County.