Portland, ME Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- § 6-131 (re-enacted Ord. 18-17/18, 8-21-2017)
- Securing penalty
- $500 flat + actual securing costs
- Condemnation criteria
- § 6-120(a)-(f)
- Who acts
- Building/enforcement authority + corporation counsel
- Reoccupancy
- Requires written approval, § 6-122
Summary
When a Portland building must be secured under Chapter 6's housing article, the enforcement authority can secure it itself and bill the owner a flat $500 penalty plus the actual securing cost, on top of suing to enforce the article, under City Code § 6-131.
Sec. 6-131. Enforcement. In addition to the remedies otherwise provided, the following specific remedies shall also be available: (a) Where any building, structure, or property is required to be secured by this article, the enforcement authority may secure the building and charge the owner, occupant, and/or operator a penalty of $500, plus reimbursement of the actual costs of securing where: 1. The owner, occupant, and/or operator has been given notice of the requirement to secure and has failed to do so within a reasonable time; or 2. The building, structure, or property poses an imminent threat to the public if not secured before notice and an opportunity to correct can be given. (b) The enforcement authority is authorized to institute, or cause to be instituted by the corporation counsel, in the name of the city any and all actions, legal or equitable, that may be appropriate or necessary for the enforcement of the provisions of this article.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: the cited page had not changed since it was quoted.
Full Breakdown
A building gets flagged under § 6-120's list of what makes a property 'unfit for human habitation': damaged, decayed, dilapidated, unsanitary, unsafe or vermin-infested properties creating a serious hazard; properties lacking adequate plumbing, ventilating, lighting or heating; overcrowded or otherwise dangerous properties; properties containing lead-based paint substances; properties where the owner ignored a prior notice or order; and disorderly houses. Once condemned and posted under §§ 6-121-6-122, the building authority notifies the owner and any occupant with a deadline to vacate, and the property can't be reoccupied until the building authority approves in writing and authorizes removal of the posted notice.
Anyone who defaces or removes a posted notice without approval violates § 6-123. Section 6-131, re-enacted in its current form by Ord. 18-17/18 on 8-21-2017 after the original section was repealed in 2011, gives the city two specific remedies beyond that notice-and-condemnation track: it may itself secure a building, structure or property that the article requires to be secured, charging the owner, occupant or operator a $500 penalty plus reimbursement of the actual securing cost, either after notice and a failure to secure within a reasonable time, or immediately if the property poses an imminent threat before notice can be given; and it authorizes the corporation counsel to bring any legal or equitable action necessary to enforce the article in the city's name.
Violations & Fines
Beyond the $500 securing fee plus reimbursement of actual costs, an owner who lets a building stay dangerous or unsecured faces the general § 6-130/§ 6-1 penalty ladder, up to $2,500 per day before notice, $5,000 per day after a first written notice, and $10,000 per day after a second, and the corporation counsel can sue directly under § 6-131(b) to force compliance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can Portland do about a dangerous or abandoned building?
What makes a Portland property 'unfit for human habitation'?
Can the city secure my building without warning me first?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Portland
Compare Portland to another location·View the Maine property maintenance overview
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