Conway, AR Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Section 5.09.17(B) declares any building or structure a nuisance if it is dilapidated to the point of being unsafe or unfit for human habitation, kept in a condition unsanitary enough to menace the health or safety of nearby residents, or presents a more than ordinarily dangerous fire hazard given its location. The section then defines the terms precisely rather than leaving them vague. An unsafe structure is one dangerous to the life, health, property or safety of the public or its occupants because it lacks minimum fire-safety safeguards, contains unsafe conditions from lack of maintenance, has unsafe equipment, or is so damaged, decayed, dilapidated, structurally unsafe or badly built that partial or complete collapse is possible.

A structure unfit for human occupancy is one the Code official finds unsafe, unlawful, or so disrepaired or poorly maintained that it is unsanitary, vermin or rat infested, contains filth and contamination, or lacks ventilation, illumination, sanitary or heating facilities the code requires. Once a structure is confirmed unfit or unsafe, related sections of Chapter 5.09 let the Code official placard it, require it be vacated within seven days of notice to owner and occupant, and cut off utility service on the eighth day until a rehabilitation permit is obtained.