Westminster, CA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Trigger
- Dilapidated, unsafe, or dangerous structure
- Correction window
- 30 days, plus up to two 30-day extensions
- Hearing body
- Planning Commission, appeal to City Council
- Appeal deadline
- 10 working days from abatement order
- Cost recovery
- Special assessment lien on the property
- Repeat penalty
- Treble abatement costs on second judgment
Summary
Westminster treats a dilapidated, structurally unsafe or dangerous building as a declared public nuisance under Municipal Code § 8.20.030(A). The city can order the owner to abate it within 30 days, and if the owner refuses, recover abatement costs through a special assessment and lien on the property, with treble costs possible on a repeat violation.
Maintenance of dilapidated structures. To maintain buildings or structures, or portions thereof, which are damaged, dilapidated, or inadequately or improperly maintained such that they are structurally unsafe, or do not provide adequate egress, or which constitute a fire hazard, or which are otherwise dangerous to human life or which in relation to existing use constitute a serious threat to the public's health, safety and general welfare. ... Such buildings or structures shall include those which are abandoned, hazardously or inadequately boarded up, partially destroyed, or in an unreasonable state of partial construction. An unreasonable state of partial construction is defined as any unfinished building or structure which has been in the course of construction two years or more, and where the appearance and other conditions of the unfinished building or structure substantially detracts from the appearance of the immediate neighborhood or reduces the property values in the immediate neighborhoods.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4982734; v10 updated 2026-06-10).
Full Breakdown
030(A) declares it a public nuisance to maintain a building or structure that is damaged, dilapidated, structurally unsafe, lacking adequate egress, a fire hazard, or otherwise dangerous to human life, including any building maintained in violation of the city's building codes. The same subsection singles out unfinished construction: a building left in an unreasonable state of partial construction, defined as unfinished for two years or more in a way that detracts from the neighborhood or reduces property values, is a nuisance on its own. 20's hearing process.
060). 140). 230). 260, a second civil or criminal judgment against the same owner within two years lets a court order treble the abatement costs.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring an abatement order exposes the owner to a special assessment lien collected like a property tax delinquency, foreclosure of that lien, or, under § 8.20.260, treble costs on a second civil or criminal judgment within two years. Chapter 8.20 violations are independently punishable under § 1.12.010: up to $1,000 and six months in jail as a misdemeanor, or infraction fines of $100 to $500 for repeat offenses, with each day of a continuing violation charged as a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a building a public nuisance in Westminster?
How long do I have to fix a nuisance property in Westminster before a hearing?
What happens if I don't pay for a nuisance abatement Westminster performed on my property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Westminster
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