Utah County, UT Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Declared nuisance
- Dilapidated building unfit for habitation
- Also covers
- Unsanitary structures and abnormal fire hazards
- Penalty
- Up to $1,000 fine or 6 months jail
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
- Abatement
- County can summarily remove/repair the hazard
- List scope
- Non-exclusive; other conditions can also qualify
Summary
Utah County treats a dilapidated building unfit for human habitation, an unsanitary structure that threatens neighbors' health, or one that poses an unusual fire hazard as a public nuisance under its own force. Utah County Code § 7.09.020 declares any such building a nuisance, and § 7.09.030 makes causing or maintaining that nuisance unlawful, with the County able to abate it and fine the owner.
any building or other structure which is in such a dilapidated condition that it is unfit for human habitation, kept in such an unsanitary condition that it is a menace to the health of people residing in the vicinity thereof, or presents a more than ordinarily dangerous fire hazard in the vicinity where it is located ... It shall be unlawful for any person to cause, permit, maintain, or allow the creation or maintenance of a nuisance.
Full Breakdown
010 as any unlawful act or condition that injures or endangers others' health or safety, offends decency, obstructs a street or waterway, or depreciates a neighbor's property value. " The same list reaches accumulated rubbish and junk, conditions that harbor rats or vermin, unremoved animal carcasses, and stagnant water, and the enumeration is expressly non-exclusive, so other conditions can still qualify. to be unlawful," a dilapidated-building nuisance is punishable by up to a $1,000 fine, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day the condition continues counting as a separate offense.
020 lets the County summarily abate a nuisance itself, sending in crews to remove or repair the hazard, in addition to prosecuting the property owner. 09, showing the abatement power reaches beyond just buildings to any declared nuisance countywide.
Violations & Fines
Causing or maintaining a dilapidated, unsanitary, or fire-hazard building is unlawful under § 7.09.030 and punishable under the county's general penalty, UCC 1.04.010, by a fine of up to $1,000, up to six months in jail, or both, with each day the condition continues a separate offense. Section 1.04.020 also lets the County summarily abate the hazard itself and bill or prosecute the owner separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Utah County force a property owner to fix a dilapidated house?
What's the penalty for letting a building become a nuisance in Utah County?
Does a building have to be condemned to count as a nuisance?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Utah County
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