Franklin County, WA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Adopted code
- 1997 Uniform Code for Abatement of Dangerous Buildings
- Related code
- 2021 International Property Maintenance Code
- Enforcing officer
- Any commissioned Franklin County officer
- Maximum fine
- $1,000 per violation
- Maximum jail term
- 90 days per violation
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate offense
Summary
Franklin County enforces dangerous and blighted buildings through the 1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, adopted by reference countywide. Violating the building code, including a stop-work order, is a misdemeanor with fines up to $1,000 and up to 90 days in jail.
The 1997 edition of the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, published by the International Conference of Building Officials is hereby adopted by reference, as if fully set out in this chapter. ... Any person found to have violated any provision of this ordinance or code, or as amended and adopted by the Board of Franklin County Commissioners, or who continues to work after a "stop work order" has been issued, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and unless otherwise prescribed by law, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed one thousand dollars ($1,000.00), or by imprisonment not to exceed ninety (90) days, or both such fine and imprisonment. Each day of violation shall constitute a separate offense.
Full Breakdown
120 adopts the 1997 edition of the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, published by the International Conference of Building Officials, by reference as if fully set out in the Franklin County Building Code chapter. That adoption gives the county building official authority to identify structures that are unsafe, structurally deficient, or hazardous to occupants or the public and to compel repair or demolition. 110 adopts the 2021 International Property Maintenance Code, which the building official can draw on to address deteriorated, unsanitary, or unsafe conditions on a property.
260, which makes it unlawful to maintain, alter, or occupy any building or structure in violation of the adopted codes, or to fail to comply with a noncompliance notice and correction order. A violation, including continuing work after a stop-work order, is a misdemeanor. Penalties reach a $1,000 fine, 90 days in jail, or both, and the code treats each day a violation continues as a separate offense, giving the county leverage to force compliance on a blighted or dangerous structure rather than let it sit unresolved.
Violations & Fines
Maintaining, occupying, or failing to correct a building found dangerous under the adopted 1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, or ignoring a correction order or stop-work order, is a misdemeanor under Section 15.12.260. Conviction carries a fine of up to $1,000, imprisonment of up to 90 days, or both, and each day the violation continues counts as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What code governs dangerous or blighted buildings in Franklin County?
Who enforces the dangerous building code in Franklin County?
What penalty applies for ignoring a dangerous-building correction order?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Franklin County
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