Lakeville, MN Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Section 9-8-3 rewrites IPMC § 304.1 so the exterior of every structure must be maintained in good repair, structurally sound and sanitary, and it lists the minimum standards a property must meet or exceed. Section 304.2 requires the foundation to adequately support the building at every point and requires exterior walls, roofs and appurtenances to stay free from decay and from dilapidation caused by cracks, tears or breaks in plaster, stucco, brick, wood, vinyl, aluminum or steel siding. The amendment then converts vague 'good repair' language into bright-line thresholds: under § 304.2.1 a wall, trim, cornice or railing is out of repair once more than 25 percent of its paint is blistered or peeled; under § 304.2.2 a chimney or brick or stone wall is out of repair once more than 25 percent of its mortar pointing is loose or missing; and under § 304.2.3 a stucco wall is out of repair once more than 25 percent of the finish coat is worn through, chipped away or damaged enough to reveal the metal lathe or underlying structure.

Section 304.3 additionally requires legible, contrasting address numbers visible from the street, and §§ 304.9 and 304.11 require overhangs, canopies, chimneys and cooling towers to stay structurally sound. These are the standards code enforcement staff use to cite a deteriorating or blighted property, and because chapter 8 deleted the rest of IPMC chapter 1, they operate as Lakeville's own exterior maintenance code rather than a generic model-code cross-reference.