Union City, CA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing code
- 1997 Uniform Dangerous Building Abatement Code
- Enforcing agency
- Building Inspection Division
- Abatement authority
- City may summarily abate nuisance
- First infraction fine
- $150
- Effective date
- January 1, 2020
Summary
Union City adopts the Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, giving the city authority to require repair, vacation, or demolition of structures dangerous to health and safety, enforced as a public nuisance.
The Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings, 1997 Edition, published by the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO), Whittier, California, are hereby adopted by reference as the Dangerous Building Abatement Code of the City of Union City, regulating the requirements to repair, vacate or demolish dangerous buildings and structures within the City of Union City.
B. One copy of said Code has been filed for use and examination by the public in the office of the City Clerk of the City of Union City at 34009 Alvarado-Niles Road, Union City, California, and the same or identical copy thereof, not less than one in number shall at all times be kept on file for similar use.
C. The rules, regulations and provisions, requirements, orders and matters established and adopted hereby shall take effect and be in full force on January 1, 2020. (Ord. 873-19 § 3, 2019)
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4940544; v16 updated 2026-06-23).
Full Breakdown
Union City Municipal Code § 15.56.010 adopts the 1997 Uniform Code for the Abatement of Dangerous Buildings as the city's Dangerous Building Abatement Code, covering structures that are structurally deficient or dangerous to life, health, or property. Under § 15.56.050, an existing violation of the chapter is declared a public nuisance; the Union City Police Department or another legal officer may investigate, notify the responsible party, and, if the owner fails to comply, enter the property and summarily abate the nuisance at the owner's expense. The Building Inspection Division administers the code, effective January 1, 2020.
Violations & Fines
Violation is an infraction: $150 first offense, $300 second, $600 third (charged as a misdemeanor) under § 15.56.040; an unabated dangerous condition is a public nuisance the city may abate directly and bill to the property owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Union City force an owner to fix or demolish a dangerous building?
What if the owner ignores a dangerous-building notice?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Union City
California rules heatmap·Compare Union City to another location·View the California property maintenance overview
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