Medina, OH Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Codified Ordinances Ch. 1317
- Notice to owner
- 48 hours to begin work
- Completion deadline
- 90 days from notice
- Max fine
- $1,000 per day
- Max jail term
- 3 months
- Enforcing official
- Chief Building Official
Summary
Medina's Building Code declares any structurally unsafe, hazardous or dangerously dilapidated building a public nuisance. The Chief Building Official can order repair, vacating or demolition, and noncompliance is fined up to $1,000 per day under Codified Ordinances Chapter 1317.
All buildings or structures which are structurally unsafe, or are not provided with adequate egress, or which constitute a hazard, or are otherwise dangerous to human life, or which in relation to existing uses constitute a hazard to safety, health or public welfare, by reason of inadequate maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence or abandonment, as specified in this Building Code or any other effective ordinance, are, for the purposes of this chapter, unsafe buildings. All unsafe buildings are declared to be public nuisances and must be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition or removal in accordance with the procedures of this chapter.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025-01: Local legislation current through June 24, 2025 | State legislation current through December 31, 2024).
Full Breakdown
03). 03 declares it a public nuisance that must be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition or removal. 04 and issues written notice of the specific defects to the owner. The owner then gets only forty-eight hours to begin the required repairs, improvements or demolition, and all work must be completed within ninety days of the notice unless the Chief Building Official stipulates otherwise. If the building must be vacated for safety, the notice orders that too, and reoccupancy is barred until the Chief Building Official inspects and approves the completed repairs.
Notice is served personally on the owner of record or, if the owner cannot be found within city limits, by registered mail, with the compliance clock starting on the date the owner receives the mailed notice. 05, a condemned building gets a posted sign reading Do not enter unsafe to occupy, and no one may remove the sign or enter except to make repairs or to demolish, without the Chief Building Official's written permission. 06 lets the City order prosecution and have the Chief Building Official proceed directly with the repair or demolition work.
99, any Building Code violation, including a Chapter 1317 unsafe-building violation, is fined up to $1,000 and up to three months imprisonment, with each day of continued violation a separate offense.
Violations & Fines
Violating any Building Code provision, including the unsafe-structures chapter, carries a fine of up to $1,000 and imprisonment of up to three months under Section 1301.99. Each day the violation continues is a separate offense. The City may also enjoin continued use of the property or, per Section 1317.06, have the Chief Building Official carry out the ordered repair or demolition directly at the owner's expense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a building "unsafe" under Medina's code?
How much time does an owner get to fix an unsafe building in Medina?
Can the City demolish my building without my consent?
What is the penalty for ignoring an unsafe-building notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Medina
Compare Medina to another location·View the Ohio property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.