Parma, OH Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Summary abatement notice period
- 24 hours
- Standard abatement notice period
- 30 days
- Hearing demand window
- 14 days after notice
- Appeal window after Board decision
- 5 days
- Penalty class
- First-degree misdemeanor
- Utility shut-off deadline
- 30 days of notice
Summary
Parma's Building Commissioner can order a public nuisance building abated within 24 hours in urgent cases or 30 days otherwise, then abate it at the owner's expense and assess the cost against the property. Refusing a lawful abatement order is itself a misdemeanor of the first degree.
Should the nuisance not be abated at the expiration of the time stated in the notice or within such additional time as the Building Commissioner or the Board may grant the owner or owners, the Commissioner shall have the right to enter upon the premises and to abate the nuisance found thereon... any difference between the amount so received and the cost of the abatement shall be levied as an assessment against the property in question by Council, certified to the County Auditor and collected as is any other assessment by the City.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2026 S-30: Local legislation current to August 3, 2026 | State legislation current to June 25, 2025).
Full Breakdown
01). 02, if the Building Commissioner, Director of Public Safety and Fire Chief agree a nuisance requires summary abatement, the Commissioner photographs it, serves written notice on the record owner, and the owner has only twenty-four hours to abate before the City does the work at the owner's expense. 03 gives the owner thirty days to comply after notice, with the right to request an itemized list of defects, apply for a repair permit, or demand a hearing within fourteen days before a Board made up of the Solicitor, the Director of Public Safety and the Director of Public Service.
That Board's decision is final unless appealed to a court within five days. 04 lets the Commissioner enter the property, abate the nuisance directly or by private contract, salvage and sell materials, and certify any shortfall to the County Auditor as a special assessment against the property. 08 separately treats a vacant, unsafe structure with utilities still connected as a nuisance and requires the utility to shut off service within thirty days of the Director of Public Safety's written notice.
Violations & Fines
Refusing to obey a lawful Building Commissioner order under Section 1527.05, or violating any provision of Chapter 1527, is a first-degree misdemeanor under Section 1527.99, with each day of continued violation charged as a separate offense. Abatement costs the City incurs become a lien-backed special assessment collected the same way as any other municipal assessment, and any sale proceeds from salvaged materials exceeding the abatement cost go back to the owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast can Parma force repairs on a dangerous building?
Can a Parma property owner appeal an abatement order?
What happens if abatement costs exceed the salvage value?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Parma
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How other cities in Cuyahoga County handle property blight.