Newark, OH Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Declaring authority
- Board of Health (Section 1840.02)
- Trigger
- Building in a condition dangerous to life or health
- Cost recovery
- Certified to County Auditor, lien collected as other taxes
- Order violation
- Minor misdemeanor, fine up to $100, each day separate
- Junk notice period
- Ten days after certified mail notice (Section 660.07)
- Property Maintenance Code
- Adopted by reference in Section 1448.01
- Review body
- Property Maintenance Review Committee, five members named by the Mayor
Summary
In the City of Newark, Ohio, the Board of Health can declare a building in a condition dangerous to life or health a public nuisance, order the owner to abate it, and, if the owner does not, do the work itself and certify the cost to the County Auditor as a lien on the property.
When a building, erection, excavation, premises, business, pursuit, matter or thing, or the sewerage, drainage, plumbing or ventilation thereof, is, in the opinion of the Board, in a condition dangerous to life or health, and when a building or structure is occupied or rented for living or business purposes and sanitary plumbing and sewerage are feasible and necessary, but neglected or refused, the Board may declare it to be a public nuisance and order it to be removed, abated, suspended, altered or otherwise improved or purified by the owner, agent or other person having control thereof, or responsible for such condition, and may prosecute him for the refusal or neglect to obey such order. The Board may also, by its officers and employees, remove, abate, suspend, alter or otherwise improve or purify them and certify the cost thereof to the County Auditor, to be assessed against the property and thereby made a lien upon it and collected as other taxes.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 1840, Nuisances, is where Newark's code gives the power to order a dangerous building fixed. Section 1840.01 directs the Board of Health to abate and remove all nuisances within its jurisdiction and lets it compel the owners, agents, assignees, occupants or tenants of any lot, property, building or structure to abate and remove a nuisance and prosecute them for neglect or refusal to obey.
Section 1840.02(a) is the dangerous building provision. When a building or its sewerage, drainage, plumbing or ventilation is, in the opinion of the Board, in a condition dangerous to life or health, or when a building occupied or rented for living or business purposes lacks sanitary plumbing and sewerage that are feasible and necessary, the Board can declare it a public nuisance and order it removed, abated, suspended, altered or otherwise improved or purified. The Board's officers and employees can do the work and certify the cost to the County Auditor, to be assessed against the property as a lien and collected as other taxes.
Section 1840.02(b) sets the process before the Board does the work. It issues a citation that briefly recites the complaint and requires the owner to appear at a stated time and place. Service is in person or by registered letter where the address is known, and the citation is left with a resident or posted conspicuously on the premises if the address cannot be found. The person gets a fair hearing. If the person promises to furnish the material or labor within a definite and reasonable time, the Board grants that time. If no promise is made or kept, the Board furnishes the material and labor and the County Auditor places the itemized sum against the property with no discretion.
Other Newark tools target conditions outside the building. Under Section 660.07, the Director of Public Safety sends certified mail notice giving ten days to cover or remove junk or a junk motor vehicle. Section 660.04 bars filthy accumulations and noxious odors, and Section 660.11 covers failure to fill lots or remove putrid substances. Section 1448.01 adopts a Property Maintenance Code attached to Ordinance 07-3, enforced by the Director of Public Safety and the Property Maintenance Coordinator, with review by a five-member Property Maintenance Review Committee appointed by the Mayor.
Violations & Fines
Section 1840.99 makes failing to comply with a Board of Health order a minor misdemeanor with a fine of not more than one hundred dollars ($100), and each day of noncompliance is a separate offense. Under Section 660.07(e) junk violations are a minor misdemeanor on a first offense, a fourth degree misdemeanor on a second, and a third degree misdemeanor thereafter. Section 660.04(d) makes filthy accumulation violations a third degree misdemeanor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can declare a building a nuisance in Newark, Ohio?
What happens if the owner ignores a Board of Health order?
How long does Newark give to clear junk from a property?
Can an owner get an independent review of a property maintenance decision?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Newark
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