Frederick County, VA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing official
- Building Maintenance Official (Chief Building Official)
- Trigger
- Written complaint filed, § 54-2
- Authority
- Virginia Maintenance Code, §§ 36-99, 36-105 Code of Va.
- Appeals body
- Board of Building Appeals, § 54-3
- Penalty
- Misdemeanor under § 36-106 Code of Virginia
Summary
Frederick County enforces the Virginia Maintenance Code against unsafe, substandard structures in the unincorporated county through the Chief Building Official, designated the Building Maintenance Official, who investigates written complaints and can order abatement of dangerous or blighted buildings.
§ 54-1. Standards adopted; enforcement. ... The Frederick County Department of Building Inspections is hereby designated to act as the local enforcing agency and is authorized to enforce the Virginia Maintenance Code provisions of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code for commercial and industrial buildings and those portions of such provisions as relate to unsafe structure and/or occupancy limitations for residential buildings, under the authority of §§ 36-99 and 36-105, Code of Virginia 1950, as amended. The Chief Building Code Official is designated as the "Building Maintenance Official" to enforce such provisions. § 54-2. Enforcement procedures. ... The enforcement procedure of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, the Virginia Maintenance Code, shall be instituted by the Building Maintenance Official when a written complaint is filed with the Building Maintenance Official.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 54, Building Maintenance, gives Frederick County its dangerous-building enforcement tool outside Winchester, Stephens City and Middletown. ' The Chief Building Code Official carries the added title 'Building Maintenance Official' for this purpose. 2-906 of the Code of Virginia. Section 54-2 starts the enforcement process only when a written complaint is filed with the Building Maintenance Official; there's no routine sweep written into the chapter. Section 54-4 lets the Building Maintenance Official set procedures for administration and abatement of unsafe conditions, subject to Board of Supervisors approval, and § 54-3 designates the County's Board of Building Appeals to hear appeals from anyone contesting how the Building Maintenance Code was applied to their property.
Violations & Fines
Section 54-5 makes any person, firm or corporation that violates a Chapter 54 provision, such as ignoring an abatement order for an unsafe or substandard structure, punishable upon conviction under § 36-106 of the Code of Virginia. Before that, § 54-2's complaint-driven process and § 54-4's administrative abatement procedures give the Building Maintenance Official room to order the condition corrected without going straight to prosecution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who handles substandard or dangerous buildings in Frederick County?
How does a substandard building case start in Frederick County?
Can a Frederick County property owner appeal an unsafe-building order?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Frederick County
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