York County, VA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- State authority cited
- Va. Code § 15.2-906
- Notice method
- certified mail + 2 weekly newspaper publications
- Wait before county acts
- at least 30 days
- Unpaid abatement cost
- becomes a tax-parity lien
- Lien waiver
- only for unrelated arm's-length buyers
Summary
York County, Virginia can order an owner to remove, repair or secure any building, wall or structure that endangers public health or safety under County Code § 7.1-17, and if the owner fails to act after notice, the county's building code official can do the work and bill the owner directly.
(a)Pursuant to the terms of section 15.2-906, Code of Virginia, as it may be amended from time to time, the owners of property in the county shall, at such time or times as the building code official may prescribe, remove, repair or secure any building, wall or any other structure which might endanger the public health or safety of other residents of the county.(b)The building code official through his own agents or employees may remove, repair or secure any building, wall or any other structure which may endanger the public health or safety of other residents of the county when the owner and lien holder of such property, after reasonable notice and a reasonable time to do so, has failed to remove, repair or secure said structure.
Full Breakdown
Section 7.1-17(a) draws its authority from Va. Code § 15.2-906 and lets the building code official set a deadline for the property owner to remove, repair or secure a dangerous building, wall or structure. If the owner and lien holder still fail to act after reasonable notice and a reasonable time, § 7.1-17(b) authorizes the building code official's own agents or employees to step in and do the removal, repair or securing themselves; "repair" under this section can include exterior maintenance work meant to stop deterioration of the building or of adjacent buildings.
Reasonable notice under the same subsection requires both a certified or registered mail notice to the owner's last known address and publication once a week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the county, and the county must wait at least 30 days after the later of the returned receipt or the second publication before acting. Once the county does the work, § 7.1-17(c) makes the cost chargeable to the owner and collectible like local taxes, and § 7.1-17(d) turns any unpaid charge into a lien against the property ranking on a parity with unpaid local tax liens.
Violations & Fines
Failing to remove, repair or secure a dangerous structure after the county's certified-mail-and-newspaper notice and 30-day waiting period lets the county perform the work itself and bill the owner under § 7.1-17(c). Any unpaid abatement cost becomes a lien enforceable under Articles 3 and 4 of Chapter 39 of Title 58.1 of the Code of Virginia, and the Board of Supervisors may waive that lien only to help sell the property to a buyer unrelated by blood, marriage or business association to the owner; the original owner remains personally obligated for the charge regardless of any lien waiver.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can York County repair a dangerous building itself and bill the owner?
How much notice does York County give before acting on an unsafe building?
Does an unpaid York County abatement bill follow the property to a new owner?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in York County
Compare York County to another location·View the Virginia property maintenance overview
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