Surry County, NC Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Adopted to enforce G.S. § 153A-140, Chapter 92 defines a HEALTH AND SAFETY NUISANCE at § 92.04 as any act or condition dangerous or prejudicial to public health or safety, including conditions posing an immediate and direct hazard to human health, whether from the condition itself or from a threat of disease transmission it creates. The Surry County Planning Department, called 'the Department' in the ordinance, investigates and determines whether a blighted or dangerous property meets that definition under § 92.06. Once the Department and County Manager concur that a nuisance exists, § 92.20(E) requires written notice by first-class and certified mail (plus personal service on any occupant) describing the condition and ordering it removed, abated or remedied within a deadline that cannot exceed 30 days unless imminent danger requires faster action.

The owner or occupant may appeal the Department's finding to the Surry County Board of Commissioners in writing within seven days, and the Board holds a hearing under § 92.23 that weighs the Ordinance Enforcement Officer's report, photographs and any evidence the owner offers before ordering abatement. If the owner still fails to act after an unappealed order, § 92.22 lets the county perform the work itself and place a lien on the property, not to exceed 60 days before collection as unpaid taxes, and § 92.24 preserves a further right to petition the General Court of Justice for a writ of certiorari.