Palm Desert, CA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Section 8.70.040 is the city's substandard building rule. Buildings and structures on property cannot be left abandoned, partially destroyed, in an unreasonable state of partial construction, or in a condition that violates an applicable provision of the California Health and Safety Code or of the California Codes previously adopted by the city. The section points to Health and Safety Code Sections 17920.3 and 17922.2 and to Chapter 15 of the municipal code. Three terms carry definitions. A building is abandoned when it is forsaken and devoid of any apparent owner, or unoccupied and unmaintained for so long that it looks as if all claims to possession have been relinquished. Partially destroyed means severely damaged by fire, flood, earthquake, vandalism or other forces in a way that substantially detracts from the neighborhood or reduces values nearby. Unreasonable state of partial construction means the building permits have expired before completion and the unfinished structure substantially detracts from the appearance of the immediate neighborhood or reduces property values.

Section 8.20.020(A) repeats the abandoned, partially destroyed and partial-construction conditions as an unlawful property nuisance. The enforcement process then runs through Chapter 8.20. An enforcement official can issue a written notice to abate that lists the address, the conditions, the code sections, the corrective actions, a reasonable compliance period and a warning that the city can record a notice of violation with the Riverside County recorder. Where the city intends demolition, the notice must say so and must also be served on all secured lienholders of record. The recipient has fifteen calendar days from service to appeal, and the city bears the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence. The city can recover abatement costs, including attorneys' fees, and can collect them as a lien or special assessment.