Lawrence, MA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Written complaint by abutter or city councilor
- Appeal window
- 7 days from receipt of notice of order
- Hearing body
- Board of Health
- Penalty
- $100.00 per day per violation, unresolved order
- City abatement
- City may repair and lien property for costs
Summary
Lawrence treats a substandard or dangerous building as a nuisance to abutters: the commissioner of inspectional services can investigate on a written complaint, order specific repairs with a deadline, and refer the case to the board of health for a hearing. An unappealed or affirmed order carries a $100.00-per-day fine until it's fixed.
It is declared that violations of this chapter shall constitute a nuisance to the persons and property abutting an unfit building or property. ... If the commissioner upon investigation determines that a violation of this chapter exists, he/she shall cause to be served upon the owner of and parties in interest in such building or property a notice of order. ... Any person, firm or corporation violating any unappealed order of the commissioner of inspectional services or, an appealed and affirmed order of said commissioner by said board of health shall be fined $100.00 per day, per violation for each day.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 8).
Full Breakdown
090, Unfit building or property, opens by declaring that violations of this chapter shall constitute a nuisance to the persons and property abutting an unfit building or property, and lets the process start on written complaint filed by an abutter or city councilor, not only a city-initiated inspection. If the commissioner's investigation confirms a violation, subsection C requires a formal notice of order served on the owner and any parties in interest, listing the violations, the corrective activities, and a timeframe, and directing the owner to submit a proposed remedial plan for the commissioner's approval; the notice must also state that a hearing may be held before the board of health.
Subsection D gives the owner seven days from receipt to file a request for hearing, with the right to answer, appear personally, bring an attorney and testify. 100 lets it issue abatement orders under MGL chapter 111, sections 122, 123 and 125, including authorizing city entry to abate, and it can refer a genuinely dangerous building to the building commissioner for state-law proceedings. An owner who doesn't appeal the order gives it the force and effect of an order of the board of health under chapter 111, sections 30 and 122. 120 makes the owner liable for those costs, recoverable in contract and by lien on the premises under chapter 111, section 125.
Violations & Fines
Section 8.20.130 sets the standing penalty: any person, firm or corporation violating an unappealed order, or an appealed-and-affirmed order, is fined $100.00 per day per violation for each day of continued noncompliance, and an order listing multiple required corrections treats each unmet correction as a separate offense. The city can also recover its abatement costs by lien under Section 8.20.120.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can file a blight complaint against a property in Lawrence?
How long does a property owner have to appeal an unfit-building order?
What happens if I ignore an unfit-property order in Lawrence?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lawrence
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