Spotsylvania County, VA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Board of Supervisors resolution
- Owner notice
- Certified mail + newspaper publication
- Waiting period
- 30 days before county acts
- Cost recovery
- Collected like unpaid county taxes
- Enforcement tool
- Property lien, parity with tax liens
- Related penalty
- Up to $2,500 first-offense fine (Sec. 5-2)
Summary
Spotsylvania County can order owners to remove, repair, or secure any building or wall that endangers public health or safety, and if the owner ignores 30 days' certified-mail and newspaper notice, the county can do the work itself and place a lien on the property.
Owners of property within the county shall, whenever prescribed by resolution of the board of supervisors, remove, repair or secure any building, wall or other structure which might endanger the public health or safety of other residents of the county. ... The board of supervisors, through its own agents or employees may remove, repair or secure any building, wall or any other structure which might endanger the public health or safety of other residents of the county when the owner and lien holder of such property, after reasonable notice and a reasonable time to do so, has failed to remove, repair or secure such building, wall or other structure. ... No action shall be taken by the county to remove, repair or secure any building, wall or other structure for at least thirty (30) days following the later of the return of the receipt or newspaper publication. ... Every charge authorized by this section with which the owner of any such property shall have been assessed and which remains unpaid shall constitute a lien against such property ranking on a parity with liens for unpaid local taxes
Full Breakdown
Sec. 5-4, Removal or repair of dangerous structures, requires property owners to remove, repair, or secure any building, wall, or other structure that might endanger public health or safety whenever the Board of Supervisors prescribes it by resolution. If the owner and lien holder fail to act after reasonable notice, the Board can send its own agents or employees to remove, repair, or secure the structure itself. 1-504. The county cannot act for at least 30 days after the later of the signed receipt coming back or the newspaper notice running.
1 of the Code of Virginia. The section works alongside Sec. 13-3(a)(2), which separately lists dangerous structures as a type of nuisance the county can abate, and Sec. 1-400.
Violations & Fines
Sec. 5-4 itself works through cost recovery and a property lien rather than a criminal fine: the county recovers its removal or repair costs as it collects unpaid taxes, and unpaid charges become a lien ranking equally with delinquent local tax liens. Separately, general building-code violations under Sec. 5-2 carry misdemeanor fines up to $2,500 for a first offense, rising to $500-$2,500 for a second offense within five years and up to $2,500-$5,000 plus up to ten days in jail for a third offense within ten years, with each day a violation continues after conviction a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Spotsylvania County force removal of a dangerous building?
How is a property owner notified before Spotsylvania County acts on a dangerous structure?
Who pays if Spotsylvania County repairs or removes a dangerous structure?
What is the fine for a building code violation in Spotsylvania County?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Spotsylvania County
Compare Spotsylvania County to another location·View the Virginia property maintenance overview
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