Boca Raton, FL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Section 10-1, in chapter 10's nuisances article, bars trash or debris from fire, windstorm, demolition, or building alteration work from remaining on a lot, plot, or the adjoining sidewalk, bicycle path, street, road or alley right-of-way. It separately prohibits storing equipment, materials, temporary structures, trash or debris on a vacant or partially vacant lot except with the chief code administrator's prior approval, and bars burying trash, debris, rubble, or tree and shrub trimmings anywhere other than an approved disposal area. Subsection (4) places the maintenance duty squarely on the property owner, lessee, or their authorized representative, who must correct any maintenance deficiency and remove any offending materials within the deadline set in the chief code administrator's notice of violation.

If the owner, lessee or representative misses that deadline, the chief code administrator can have the corrective work done, calculate the cost including administrative charges, and bill the owner; unpaid costs become a first lien on the property, foreclosable like any other lien. Section 9-60 additionally authorizes a code enforcement officer to enforce section 10-1 through the direct civil citation process, letting an officer with reasonable cause issue a citation on the spot rather than routing every blighted-property complaint through a criminal proceeding, with contested citations heard by a special magistrate.