Catoosa County, GA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Article V of chapter 18 lets the county act against a dwelling, building or structure that is unfit for human habitation or commercial, industrial or business use, that is vacant and used for a drug crime, or that otherwise endangers public health or safety through unsanitary conditions, fire hazards or inadequate ventilation, light or sanitary facilities. Section 18-124 designates the zoning administrator as the article's public officer. Under § 18-125, that officer investigates on a complaint from any public authority or at least five county residents, and, if the investigation confirms the property is unfit, files an in rem complaint against the property itself, identified by street address and tax map reference, and has the owner and any parties in interest served with a summons to a Magistrate Court hearing held 15 to 45 days later.

If the Magistrate Court finds the property unfit after that hearing, § 18-126 requires it to issue a written order: if repair, alteration or improvement is reasonable compared to the structure's present value, the order directs the owner to bring the property into compliance within a set time; if repair is not reasonable compared to value, the order instead directs the owner to demolish and remove the structure and all debris. Section 18-127 requires the court to value the structure and repair costs without regard to the land or the owner's finances.

If the owner does not comply, § 18-128 lets the public officer repair, close or demolish the property directly and post a placard declaring it unfit and its use unlawful, and § 18-130 turns the cost of any county-performed demolition, plus court, appraisal and attorney fees, into a lien against the property that the tax commissioner collects like an ad valorem tax.