Manitou Springs, CO Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

020 makes the owner of a vacant or abandoned building or property responsible for closing and locking every window, door, gate and other opening large enough to admit a person or animal, and for repairing or properly boarding any damaged opening using structural panel at least a half inch thick, two-by-four framing material, and three-eighths-inch carriage bolts, then painting the boarding to match the existing structure. 030 layers on ongoing maintenance duties: the exterior must stay free of rot and holes with exposed surfaces weather-coated, balconies, canopies, signs and awnings kept in good repair, walls and fences maintained, graffiti removed, combustibles cleared from inside and outside, smoke and carbon monoxide detectors kept operable, utilities shut off at the meter, and landscaping watered, mowed and cleared of debris.

040 lets the city impose a repeat call service fee, set by city council resolution, once it has responded to or provided services for the same vacant or abandoned property three or more times within a calendar year, though not for emergency police responses like domestic abuse calls. The owner gets written notice of the prior calls and ten business days to request a hearing before the city administrator; an unpaid, upheld fee becomes a lien against the property certified to the El Paso County treasurer, superior to all prior liens except general property taxes and special improvement district taxes. 08.