Lake Havasu City, AZ Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Section 8.08.020 defines a public nuisance broadly in subsection A, then lists specific triggering conditions in subsection B. Item B.1.f singles out "any unsightly and dangerous building, billboard or other structure or any old, abandoned or partially destroyed building or structure or any building or structure commenced and abandoned" as one of the accumulations that constitutes a nuisance, alongside rubbish-covered lots, junk, dead landscaping and inoperable vehicles listed in the same subsection. Section 8.08.040 assigns enforcement to the Code Enforcement Officer or a designee, operating under the citywide procedure in Chapter 1.12, and also allows criminal enforcement in municipal court on a complaint filed by the City Prosecutor's Office.

Under Chapter 1.12, the Code Official generally must first attempt voluntary correction under Section 1.12.030, unless an emergency exists, the violation is a repeat, the condition cannot be corrected, or the owner knew the property violated the code. Short of a citation, the city may instead serve a notice to abate under Section 1.12.050, giving the responsible party at least 30 calendar days to fix the blighted structure before the city or a private contractor abates it and bills the cost back, potentially secured with a lien on the property under Section 1.12.055.

If the city proceeds by civil citation instead, Section 1.12.040 sets the fine schedule, and a hearing on a contested citation proceeds in municipal court under Sections 1.12.090 through 1.12.130.