Alpharetta, GA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Nuisance defined
- Structurally unsafe, overcrowded, fire-prone building
- Complaint trigger
- Public authority or 5+ residents file request
- Hearing window
- 15 to 45 days after complaint filed
- Repeat violation
- Each 10 days after deadline is separate offense
- Unpaid demolition cost
- Becomes a lien on the property
Summary
Alpharetta treats any occupied or vacant building that is structurally unsafe, fire-prone, overcrowded, or a health hazard as an unlawful nuisance under section 26-137. Owners cannot occupy or rent such a building, and the city can order it repaired or demolished under the Unfit Buildings article.
(a)No person shall occupy as owner or occupant or let or sublet to another for occupancy, or keep and maintain, whether in use or abandoned, any building or dwelling unit constructed for the purpose of living, sleeping, cooking or eating therein which, under the provisions of this article, constitutes a nuisance. ... (b)Any building, structure, enclosure, place or premises is a nuisance where it is perilous to life or property by reason of its construction, or of the condition or quantity of its contents, or of the use of the building or its contents or the enclosure, or of the overcrowding at any time of persons therein, or of deficiencies in its fire alarm or fire prevention equipment, or of conditions in its construction likely to cause fire or the spreading of fire, or of conditions therein which would hamper or impede the fire department in combating a fire in or about the building;
Full Breakdown
Section 26-137 opens Alpharetta's Unfit Buildings article by declaring it unlawful for an owner or occupant to occupy, let, sublet, keep or maintain 'any building or dwelling unit constructed for the purpose of living, sleeping, cooking or eating therein which, under the provisions of this article, constitutes a nuisance.' Subsection (b) defines that nuisance broadly to include a structure that is perilous to life or property by reason of its construction, overcrowded, missing adequate fire alarm or fire-prevention equipment, likely to spread fire, structurally likely to collapse, or otherwise dangerous to health, harboring vermin, or spreading disease.
Section 26-138 then lists eleven specific defects, from walls that lean beyond a safe plumb line to 33 percent or more structural deterioration, that automatically make a building 'unfit for human habitation.' The article borrows its underlying definitions from Georgia law, incorporating O.C.G.A. §§ 41-1-1 and 41-2-8 for terms not separately defined. Once the public officer's inspection under section 26-141 confirms a violation, section 26-142 lets a public authority or at least five residents file a nuisance complaint, triggering a municipal court hearing between 15 and 45 days later.
If the owner does not comply with a repair or demolition order, section 26-144 lets the public officer act directly, and section 26-143 makes each ten-day period of continued noncompliance after the deadline a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Failing to appear on a nuisance summons is itself an offense under section 26-144(a), punished per section 1-8. If the public officer must repair, secure, or demolish a noncompliant building, section 26-144(d) makes the full cost of demolition, court costs, and administrative fees a lien against the property, and every ten days of continued noncompliance after the court's abatement deadline is a separate offense under section 26-143.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a building a 'nuisance' under Alpharetta's code?
How does a nuisance complaint against a building get started?
What happens if the owner never fixes the building?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alpharetta
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