Sacramento, CA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Sacramento City Code Ch. 8.96
- Deadline to start repair/demolition
- 30 days from notice and order
- Civil penalty range
- $250-$25,000 per day
- Appeal deadline
- 30 days from date of order
- Appeal body
- Housing Code Advisory and Appeals Board
Summary
Sacramento declares any building the chief building official finds dangerous a public nuisance and orders it repaired, demolished, secured or vacated under City Code Chapter 8.96. Owners get 30 days to start work and face daily misdemeanor charges plus steep civil penalties for noncompliance.
All buildings or portions thereof which are determined after inspection by the building official to be dangerous, as defined in this chapter, are declared to be public nuisances and shall be abated by repair, rehabilitation, demolition, securement or removal in accordance with the procedure specified in Section 8.96.130 of this chapter.
Full Breakdown
130. 110 lists the qualifying conditions, including exits too narrow for safe egress, structural stress exceeding one and one-half times allowable working stress, and fire, earthquake, wind or flood damage that leaves the structure below current code strength. 130 notice and order must identify the property, describe the dangerous conditions, and give the owner a choice: obtain repair permits and physically start work within 30 days of the order, or obtain demolition permits and commence demolition within the same 30 days, in each case finishing within a time the building official finds reasonable.
160, and that the city may perform the repair, securement or demolition itself and bill the owner or the property. 5. 130(E): a notice-and-order fee covering inspection and administrative costs, a monitoring fee for each follow-up inspection after the order becomes final, and a termination-of-declaration fee to close the file and remove liens, all set by council resolution and owed regardless of whether the nuisance is ultimately abated.
Violations & Fines
Violating any provision of Chapter 8.96 or an official order is a misdemeanor for each day the violation continues, per § 8.96.070(A). Civil penalties of $250 to $25,000 per day may also be pursued by the city attorney, and administrative penalties under Chapter 1.28 can run alongside them, though owners get a 30-day cure period before an administrative penalty attaches unless there is an immediate danger to health or safety. Entering a posted dangerous building or removing/defacing its vacate notice is a separate misdemeanor under § 8.96.155.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who decides a Sacramento building is dangerous?
How long do I have to fix a dangerous building notice?
What happens if I ignore the notice and order?
Can I appeal a dangerous-building notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sacramento
California rules heatmap·Compare Sacramento to another location·View the California property maintenance overview
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Property Blight in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Sacramento County handle property blight.