Bossier City, LA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Under Sec. 18-36, the building or housing inspector who finds a structure unsafe must serve the owner, agent, or person in control written notice describing the defects and setting a deadline to repair, rehabilitate, or demolish it. If the building must be vacated, the inspector posts a notice reading "THIS BUILDING IS UNSAFE AND ITS USE OR OCCUPANCY HAS BEEN PROHIBITED BY THE BUILDING INSPECTOR," and removing that posting without written permission is itself unlawful. The owner has 30 days from service of the notice to appeal to the Building Code Board of Appeals; missing the hearing waives the right to contest it.

If the owner cannot be found or refuses to comply, the inspector reports the estimated demolition cost to the city council, and the mayor serves notice requiring the owner to show cause at a council meeting at least ten days out, or 24 hours out in a grave public emergency. After the hearing, the council can order repair or demolition; that written decision is final unless appealed to the 26th Judicial District Court within five days, or 48 hours in an emergency, with a bond set by the district judge. If the owner still will not act, the mayor may demolish or remove the structure, and the City of Bossier City then holds a lien and privilege against the lot for the cost of demolition, recorded with the parish mortgage office and collectible through ordinary court process. If the demolition cost is not paid within ten days of the tax collector's written statement, it gets added to the property owner's taxes.