Fairfield, CT Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Chapter 51, Blight Prevention, adopted by the Representative Town Meeting in 2004 under the authority of Connecticut General Statutes § 7-148(7)(H)(xv), prohibits any owner, agent, tenant or person in control of Fairfield real property from allowing or maintaining a blighted premises. Section 51-2 defines 'blighted premises' as property or a structure in a state of disrepair or becoming dilapidated, evidenced by conditions such as multiple missing or boarded windows and doors, a collapsing or missing roof or walls, fire or water damage, rodent or pest infestation, excessive trash, inoperative or unregistered vehicles or boats stored outside a garage or licensed junkyard, an abandoned commercial parking lot, an unsecured vacant building, or graffiti.

The First Selectman designates one or more Blight Prevention Officers, drawn from the Building Official, Fire Marshal and Director of Health, to investigate written complaints under § 51-4. If a probable violation exists, the officer serves notice by regular and certified mail and refers the matter to a hearing before the Town Condemnation Board, which sets an abatement deadline of at least 30 days. A pending special permit or site-plan application for the property's improvement earns a 120-day exemption from the chapter under § 51-10.

Unpaid fines become a lien on the property under § 51-8, and citations follow the hearing procedures in Chapter 11; an aggrieved party can appeal a penalty judgment to Superior Court under § 51-12.