Charleston, SC Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Section 21-54 defines blight as physical deterioration that reduces a property's value and requires the owner of any vacant building, defined as one unoccupied for 30 or more days or left open and unsecured, to show one of four things to a code enforcement official: an active repair permit with diligent progress; that the building meets code and is actively listed for sale, lease, or rent; that the owner is actively maintaining the property (grass and weeds kept under 12 inches, exterior paint and finishes maintained, debris and graffiti removed weekly, rodent control, and no criminal activity); or that the vacancy stems from a fire, flood, earthquake, or other disaster with active rebuilding assistance underway.

A building boarded for more than one year becomes a public nuisance by operation of the section, and any boarded building, however it came to be boarded, must be rehabilitated for occupancy within 12 months, with one six-month extension available if the owner shows the building is repairable. The owner must post 'No Trespassing' signs and authorize police enforcement of the trespass notice. Under the Division 2 abatement process (Sections 21-61 through 21-65), the city inspects, gives written notice, and if public health or safety is in immediate danger, may summarily abate the nuisance; otherwise the owner has 30 days to abate after notice, with a right to demand a hearing before the Livability Review Board within 10 days.