West Bloomfield, MI Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)

Sec. 8-236 lists eleven defect categories that make a structure 'dangerous or unsafe,' including walls out of plumb by more than a third of their base, fire or storm damage endangering occupants, inadequate light, air, heating or sanitation, insufficient fire egress, and being 'so dilapidated, decayed, unsafe or unsanitary ... that they are unfit for human habitation.' Sec. 8-237 sets the remedy scale: a building that can reasonably be repaired out of violation must be ordered repaired; one dangerous to occupant health or safety must be vacated; and one where repair cost exceeds fifty percent of replacement value, or that is a fire hazard, must be demolished.

Sec. 8-238 requires the building department director to inspect reported buildings, log a docket of unsafe structures, notify every owner, occupant, and lienholder of record, and post a dangerous-building notice on the structure that is unlawful to remove until compliance. Sec. 8-239 gives owners a hearing before the township board within 30 days, after which the board issues findings and an order to repair, vacate, or demolish; if the owner does not comply within ten days, the township may do the work itself and place a lien on the property, added to the tax roll. Sec. 8-240 requires all repair or demolition work to still obtain its own permits.