Richmond actively enforces blight abatement under VA Code 36-49.1:1 and City Code Chapter 50. Properties with peeling paint, broken windows, collapsed porches, or accumulated debris may be declared blighted and subject to spot blight abatement including receivership or demolition.
City Council may declare a property blighted after public hearing. Owner has 30 days to submit an abatement plan. If plan is not implemented, the city may acquire via eminent domain, place in receivership, or demolish at owner expense with cost placed as lien. Richmond's Department of Planning and Development Review maintains a published list of blighted properties.
Failure to abate: lien for full repair or demolition cost, plus administrative fee. Criminal penalty for occupying condemned property: Class 3 misdemeanor.
Richmond, VA
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Richmond, VA
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Richmond, VA
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Richmond, VA
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Richmond, VA
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Richmond, VA
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See how Richmond's property blight rules stack up against other locations.
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