Bensalem, PA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Board size
- 3 members
- Governing board
- Vacant Property Review Board
- Tax delinquency threshold
- 2 years unpaid taxes
- Notice to owner
- Required before certification
- Acquiring authority
- Redevelopment Authority of Bucks County
- Advance notice to Planning
- 30 days before acquisition
Summary
Bensalem Township's Vacant Property Review Board, created under Code Chapter 45, certifies vacant, tax-delinquent, or dangerously deteriorated structures as blighted before the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Bucks can move to acquire them. The three-member board applies nine statutory blight tests, from fire hazards to two years of unpaid taxes, and owners get formal notice and an appeal right before certification becomes final.
(b)Blighted property means any of the following: ... (3)Any dwelling which because it is dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe, vermin infested or lacking in the facilities or equipment required by any applicable housing or building code, has been designated by the department responsible for enforcement of the Code as unfit for human habitation. ... (a)No property shall be certified to the Redevelopment Authority unless it is vacant.(b)No property shall be certified to the Redevelopment Authority unless the owner of the property or an agent designated by him for receipt of service of notices within the County has been served with notice of the determination that the property is blighted, together with an appropriate order to eliminate the conditions causing the blight and notification that failure to do so may render the property subject to condemnation under this chapter.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 45 establishes the Vacant Property Review Board (VPRB) under the Urban Redevelopment Law of 1945, 35 P.S. 1701 et seq., to investigate vacant and derelict properties and certify blight to the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Bucks. Section 45-2 defines nine categories of blighted property, including any premises that is a public nuisance at common law, any dwelling designated unfit for human habitation for lacking required housing or building code facilities, any structure that is a fire hazard, any vacant lot that has become a place for accumulation of trash and debris or a haven for vermin, any unoccupied property tax delinquent for at least two years, and any property left vacant for a year after a rehabilitation notice.
The VPRB consists of three members: the Executive Director of the Redevelopment Authority (or designee), the Director of Administration (or designee), and one member of the Bensalem Township Economic Development Corporation. Under Section 45-4, no property may be certified unless it is vacant, and the owner or an agent within the county must first be served notice of the blight determination along with an order to eliminate the conditions and a warning that noncompliance can lead to condemnation. The owner has a right of appeal, and certification cannot proceed until the appeal period expires or any appeal is resolved against the owner.
At least 30 days before acquiring a certified property, the Redevelopment Authority must notify the Township and County Planning Commissions and request a reuse recommendation.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 45 does not set a fine schedule of its own; instead, blight certification under Section 45-4 exposes an owner's property to condemnation and acquisition by the Redevelopment Authority of the County of Bucks once the VPRB's order to eliminate blighting conditions is ignored and any appeal is exhausted. Owners who fail to correct the certified conditions risk losing title to the property through the Authority's redevelopment process rather than facing a per-day fine.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a property 'blighted' in Bensalem Township?
Who sits on the Vacant Property Review Board?
Can an owner appeal a blight certification?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bensalem
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