Sioux City, IA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Sioux City's blight enforcement runs through the Inspection Services Division of the Community Development Department, located at 405 6th Street with inspectors available Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (712-224-5216). Inspection Services covers three program areas: Building Construction Permits and Inspections, Rental Housing Permits and Inspections, and Property Maintenance / Public Nuisance Complaints and Inspections. The substantive standards are in Title 20 of the Sioux City Municipal Code: Chapter 20.05 (Housing Maintenance Code) governs the exterior, structural, sanitary, and occupancy condition of dwellings; Chapter 20.06 (Dangerous and Dilapidated Structures) provides the procedure for declaring a building unsafe and ordering repair or demolition. Iowa Code §364.12 supplies the state-level municipal authority - cities have the power to require abatement of a nuisance (public or private) in any reasonable manner, including the removal of natural accumulations of snow and ice, maintenance of the area between the property line and the street, repair or replacement of sidewalks, repair or removal of a dangerous building, cutting or destruction of weeds that constitute a health/safety/fire hazard, and general nuisance abatement. The statute's cost-recovery mechanism is critical: if the owner does not perform the required action within a reasonable time after notice, the city may perform it and assess the cost against the property for collection in the same manner as a property tax (a special assessment lien that survives ownership changes and is collected through the county tax system). Notice may be by ordinance or by certified mail to the owner of record per county auditor records and must state the time within which action is required. The Building and Housing Code Board hears appeals.