Bethel, CT Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Chapter 64, adopted by the Board of Selectmen on February 15, 2013, was enacted under the Municipal Powers Act, Connecticut General Statutes §§ 7-148(c)(7)(H)(xv) and 7-148aa. Section 64-2 forbids any owner from allowing, creating or maintaining a blighted residential premises, though it exempts land held as public open space under a conservation easement or designated inland wetlands. Section 64-3 defines a blighted premises broadly: property attracting documented illegal activity, a fire hazard confirmed by the Fire Marshal, or a condition the anti-blight officer, building inspector, Zoning Enforcement Officer, health officer or police determine poses a serious threat to safety, health or neighborhood property values.

Listed examples include dilapidated structures with collapsing walls or roofs, uncontained garbage and trash, abandoned or unregistered vehicles, nonoperational mechanical equipment left outside, and accumulated debris. Section 64-4 names the Zoning Enforcement Officer as the anti-blight officer, drawing on the building official, health director, public works director, inland wetlands officer, police and fire marshal as needed. Complaints go to the Zoning Office at the Hurgin Municipal Center on a town complaint form, and only the specific violations listed on that form get investigated under § 64-5. Section 64-6 requires the anti-blight officer to give elderly, disabled or low-income owner-occupants extra time to correct a violation before penalties apply.