Lauderhill, FL Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 10-15
- Enforcing agency
- Code enforcement division / building official
- Appeal window
- 5 days to request a hearing
- Officer labor rate billed
- $50.00 per hour
- Unpaid lien penalty
- Up to 18% interest tax certificate
Summary
In the City of Lauderhill, a building with broken windows, unstable walls, deteriorated structural elements or a failed 40-year safety inspection is the owner's responsibility to secure, and the city can step in, do the work, and bill the owner if the owner does not.
Unsecured or unstable property: any building(s) or structure(s) containing broken windows, doors, doorways or any other entranceway, unstable walls or structures, deterioration of structural elements, or any violations of 40-year or older building safety inspection requirements as stated in the engineering report. ... Any and all building(s) or structure(s) which are unsecured or unstable are the responsibility of the property owner to secure or stabilize said building(s) or structure(s). Should the property owner fail to do so, the city is hereby authorized to secure or stabilize any and all unsecured or unstable property, building(s) or structure(s) as defined in subsection (a) above, which is deemed a health or safety hazard or a 40-year or older building safety inspection violation without additional notice to the property owner after this initial notice was issued pursuant to this section.
Full Breakdown
City Code Section 10-15 defines an 'unsecured or unstable property' as any building or structure with broken windows, doors, doorways or other entranceways, unstable walls or structures, deterioration of structural elements, or violations of the 40-year-or-older building safety inspection requirements found in an engineering report. Under subsection (f), securing or stabilizing that structure is the property owner's responsibility; if the owner fails to act, the code enforcement division or building official is authorized to secure or stabilize the property directly, and after an initial notice under this section the city may act again without additional notice, and may vacate the building where a health or safety hazard exists.
The director of code enforcement certifies the city's expense to the finance department, which bills the owner; unpaid bills become a lien after 30 days that ranks with ad valorem tax liens and can lead to a non-ad valorem assessment on the annual tax bill, a tax certificate at up to 18 percent interest, or eventual sale of the property by tax deed. An owner may request a hearing before the code enforcement board, or before the special magistrate for 40-year building safety inspection violations, within five days of the notice under subsection (g), and the city charges hourly labor and equipment rates (for example $50 per hour for a code enforcement officer, $200 per hour for a vehicle) when it performs the remedy itself.
Violations & Fines
Leaving a building unsecured, unstable, or in violation of the 40-year-or-older safety inspection program after notice under Section 10-15(g) lets the city remedy the condition itself and bill the owner for labor, equipment, and administrative costs; unpaid bills become a property lien after 30 days and can escalate to a non-ad valorem tax assessment, an 18 percent-interest tax certificate, or a tax deed sale under subsection (i).
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a building 'unsecured or unstable' under Lauderhill's code?
What happens if a Lauderhill property owner does not secure a dangerous building?
Can a Lauderhill property owner appeal a dangerous-building notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lauderhill
Florida rules heatmap·Compare Lauderhill to another location·View the Florida property maintenance overview
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