Blue Springs, MO Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code Section 515.810
- Number of dangerous-building conditions listed
- 14
- Structural damage threshold
- 33% supporting / 50% non-supporting
- Stalled construction trigger
- 30 days with no notice compliance
- Notice/hearing process
- Sections 515.830 and 515.860
- Right of appeal
- Section 515.910
Summary
In the City of Blue Springs, Missouri, a building with damaged structural members, fire damage, inadequate fire exits, or conditions unfit for human habitation can be declared a dangerous building and public nuisance. City Code Section 515.810 lists fourteen specific conditions the Code Official uses to make that call.
Section 515.810. ... Conditions Of Buildings And Structures Constituting A Dangerous Building Or Structure And/Or Public Nuisance. ... ... A. Any building or structure which has any condition defined as a nuisance or public nuisance under this Chapter or other City ordinance, or which satisfies any of the following conditions, is hereby declared to be a dangerous building or structure, provided that such conditions or defects exist to the extent that the life, health, property or safety of the public or its occupants are endangered and to constitute a public nuisance. 1. Those whose interior walls or other vertical structural members list, lean or buckle to such an extent that a plumb line passed through the center of gravity of any such wall or vertical structural member falls outside of the middle third of its base. 2. Those which, exclusive of the foundation, show thirty-three percent (33%) or more of damage or deterioration of the supporting members, or fifty percent (50%) of damage or deterioration of the non-supporting enclosing or outside walls or covering. ... ... 13. Those which are used or intended to be used for dwelling purposes, which, because of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, decay, faulty construction or arrangement, inadequate light, air or sanitation facilities, or otherwise, are determined by the Code Official or their representatives to be unsanitary, unfit for human habitation or in such a condition that is likely to cause sickness or disease.
Full Breakdown
Section 515.810 of the Blue Springs Property Maintenance Code, part of the chapter's Dangerous and Nuisance Building and Structure Code, declares a building or structure dangerous when it meets any of fourteen listed conditions and those conditions endanger life, health, property or public safety. The list ranges from structural failure, such as walls that lean so a plumb line through their center of gravity falls outside the middle third of the base, to buildings showing 33 percent or more deterioration of supporting members or 50 percent deterioration of non-supporting walls, to buildings substantially damaged by fire, earthquake, wind or flood.
It also covers unoccupied buildings left open at a door, window, wall or roof; construction halted for 30 straight days or demolition halted for seven straight days after a Section 515.830 notice; buildings condemned under Sections 515.310 or 515.320 with no repair progress in 30 days; buildings with inadequate fire exits; and buildings that are unsanitary, unfit for human habitation, or likely to cause sickness because of inadequate light, air or sanitation. Once a building meets the standard, Section 515.820 requires the Code Official to inspect on complaint or referral, Section 515.830 requires a notice of public nuisance and abatement order served on interested parties, and Section 515.860 sets a hearing if the notice is not obeyed.
Section 515.940 and Section 515.950 impose separate penalties for failing to vacate or failing to comply with the Code Official's or Hearing Officer's order, and Section 515.910 preserves a right of appeal.
Violations & Fines
A structure meeting any of Section 515.810's fourteen conditions can be ordered vacated, repaired or demolished under Section 515.830's abatement process; ignoring that order draws a separate penalty under Section 515.950, and failing to vacate a building the Code Official has posted as unsafe is its own offense under Section 515.940, with the property owner also facing the Chapter 515 tax-bill lien procedure in Section 515.890 for the City's abatement costs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a building 'dangerous' under Blue Springs's code?
Can the City order a dangerous building demolished?
Is there an appeal if my building is declared dangerous?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Blue Springs
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