Rowlett, TX Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing law
- Rowlett Code § 78-121 (IPMC § 301.3)
- Applies to
- Vacant structures, premises, vacant land
- Standard
- Clean, safe, secure, sanitary
- Enforcement tool
- Repair, board-up, or demolition order
- Appeal window
- 20 days to Board of Adjustment
Summary
Rowlett's Property Maintenance Code requires every vacant building, structure or lot in the city, Dallas and Rockwall counties, Texas, to stay clean, safe, secured and sanitary so it doesn't become a blighting problem.
All vacant structures and premises thereof or vacant land shall be maintained in a clean, safe, secure and sanitary condition as provided herein so as not to cause a blighting problem or adversely affect the public health, safety or welfare.
Subsection 302.1, Sanitation, is changed to read as follows:
All exterior property and premises shall be maintained in a clean, safe and sanitary condition.
Subsection 302.4, Weeds, is changed to Exterior Property Maintenance and is changed to read as follows:
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 29).
Full Breakdown
As locally amended in § 78-121 of the adopted 2018 International Property Maintenance Code, Subsection 301.3 makes owners keep vacant structures, premises and vacant land clean, safe, secure and sanitary specifically so they don't create a 'blighting problem.' When a structure is found unsafe, dangerous, dilapidated or structurally unsound, the chief building official or Board of Adjustment can order repair, boarding, or demolition at the owner's expense, with a 20-day window to appeal to the Board of Adjustment.
Violations & Fines
Noncompliant vacant property can draw a repair-or-demolish order from the chief building official or Board of Adjustment, enforced at the owner's expense; the order is appealable within 20 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Rowlett have a blighted-property ordinance?
What can Rowlett do if my vacant building becomes unsafe?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rowlett
Texas rules heatmap·Compare Rowlett to another location·View the Texas property maintenance overview
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Property Blight in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Dallas County handle property blight.