Shenandoah, TX Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Chapter 38, Article III, Division 3 of the Shenandoah Code of Ordinances declares it a nuisance to leave "personalty" (defined in § 38-141 as objectionable, unsightly or unsanitary matter, machinery, implements, equipment or unsightly personal property of any kind) on any property in the city for ten days or more. Section 38-142 calls that condition dangerous to the public health, and § 38-143 puts the duty on the owner, occupant or agent to remove it. Enforcement runs through the code enforcement officer created in Division 2: under § 38-126 that officer (the city administrator or a designee) inspects premises, investigates complaints, and issues written notice specifying the property's legal description, the nature of the violation, the code section violated, and the work required, giving no less than ten and no more than 90 days to comply.

If the property still isn't cleared, § 38-145 makes it a separate unlawful act to fail, refuse or neglect to remove the personalty within seven days after the § 38-147 notice, which can be served personally, by certified mail, or by posting on the property and in the newspaper if the owner can't be found. Under § 38-146, once that seven-day window runs, the city can remove the material itself and recover its cost. 007. A property owner unhappy with a code enforcement order has ten days to file a written notice of appeal with the city secretary under § 38-127, and the city council must hold a hearing and rule within ten days after that.