Casper, WY Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

The City Council adopted the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, 1988 Edition, under Wyoming Statute § 15-1-103(A)(XXVI) and (XLI), codified at § 15.48.020, then rewrote several of its sections to fit Casper. Section 302(16), amended by § 15.48.030(C), lets the fire chief classify a structure as dangerous for obsolescence, dilapidation, deterioration, damage, inadequate exits, insufficient fire-resistive construction, or faulty wiring, gas connections or heat apparatus. Once a vacate order issues, § 15.48.030(D) requires notice posted at every exit reading in part 'Do not enter unsafe to occupy.

It is a misdemeanor to occupy this building or remove or deface this notice,' signed by the City Manager. Before any demolition or removal proceeds, § 15.48.030(F) requires a demolition permit from the Building Official, defined by § 15.48.030(B) as the City Manager or an authorized representative, obtainable only by a licensed demolition contractor or the property's owner of record, valid for ninety days and extendable another ninety if the project's size justifies it. Section 15.48.030(G) requires every permit application to carry a performance bond, letter of credit, or acceptable collateral sized at twenty dollars per square foot of the demolished building area, counting every floor and basement.

Appeals of the Building Official's decisions go to a Board of Appeals of at least three City Council members, appointed by the Mayor with council consent, under the amended Section 205 in § 15.48.030(A). The City Engineer or Community Development Director must itemize the city's own repair or demolition costs and file that report with the Clerk-Treasurer, per § 15.48.030(H).