Costa Mesa, CA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Legal basis
- Costa Mesa Municipal Code sections 20-11 to 20-17
- Qualifying conditions
- Unsafe structures, litter, weeds, attractive nuisances
- Notice
- Written notice to abate, posted and mailed
- Civil penalty
- Up to $1,000 per day after deadline
- Entry authority
- Director may enter with consent or warrant
- Appeal
- To city council under Section 20-17
- Cost recovery
- Lien on property, attorney's fees to prevailing party
Summary
Costa Mesa declares a broad list of property conditions a public nuisance under Municipal Code Section 20-12, from unsafe or fire-hazard structures and structural defects to abandoned, boarded-up, or partially built structures. The director can order abatement, and Section 20-13 authorizes a civil penalty of up to $1,000 imposed daily after the notice-to-abate deadline passes until the violation is corrected.
Any structure or property, or a portion thereof, that is determined to be unsafe pursuant to the California Building Code and other applicable technical codes, constitutes a fire hazard, is in violation of any of the provisions of section 20-7, is determined to be unsafe or that is otherwise dangerous to the public safety, health and welfare. … Structures that are abandoned, boarded up, partially destroyed, or left in a state of partial construction. … Commencing the day following the expiration of the period provided in the notice to abate, a fine of up to $1,000 may be imposed until the violation is corrected.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4894290; v9 updated 2025-11-18).
Full Breakdown
Section 20-11 declares it a public nuisance for anyone owning, leasing, occupying, or controlling premises in the city to maintain conditions listed in Section 20-12, but only if the condition can be identified without entry, observed with the owner's consent, or established under a judicial warrant. Section 20-12 lists the qualifying conditions in detail: structures determined unsafe under the California Building Code or found in violation of Section 20-7's standards for vacant property, structural hazards like deteriorated foundations or buckling walls, structures abandoned, boarded up, partially destroyed, or left in a state of partial construction, litter, rubbish or weeds visible from the street, dead or overgrown vegetation that could harbor vermin, attractive nuisances dangerous to children such as hazardous excavations or neglected machinery, and abandoned or unfiltered pools, spas, or ponds.
Once the director identifies a violation, Section 20-15 requires a written notice to abate, headed 'NOTICE OF PUBLIC NUISANCE,' identifying the property and setting a reasonable correction deadline, served by posting on the property and by certified mail under Section 20-16. Section 20-14 lets the director enter the property to inspect or abate, applying for a judicial warrant if the owner refuses access. An owner can appeal the director's decision to the city council under Section 20-17.
Violations & Fines
Once the correction period in the notice to abate expires, Section 20-13 authorizes a civil fine of up to $1,000 per day, set by city council resolution, imposed daily until the violation is corrected. Unpaid fines are collected under Section 1-48, and fines collected against foreclosed or bank-owned properties go directly into the city's nuisance abatement program. The prevailing party in an abatement proceeding can recover reasonable attorney's fees, and abatement costs can be assessed as a lien against the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a public nuisance property in Costa Mesa?
How does Costa Mesa notify a property owner of a nuisance?
What is the fine for an unabated nuisance in Costa Mesa?
Can the city enter my property to inspect a nuisance complaint?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Costa Mesa
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