Hampton, VA Property Maintenance: Vacant Lot Maintenance (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- occupied or vacant property
- Notice to cure
- 7 days (debris) / 30 days (clutter)
- Fine
- $100-$1,000 per day
- Governing section
- Hampton City Code § 24-37(a)
Summary
Owners of vacant Hampton lots must keep them free of accumulated trash, garbage, refuse, litter and clutter under the city's unlawful property maintenance conditions ordinance.
It shall be unlawful for the owner of any property, or any occupant or other person who is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of any property, occupied or vacant, including the area adjoining such property extending to the curb line or the paved portion of the roadway and the center line of an abutting alley, to permit the accumulation on such property of trash, garbage, refuse, litter (collectively..."debris"), clutter, and other like substances that might endanger the health of other residents of the locality.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 31 | Zoning: Supplement 20).
Full Breakdown
Hampton City Code § 24-37(a) bars letting trash, garbage, refuse, litter ("debris") or clutter accumulate on any property, occupied or vacant, including the strip out to the curb or alley center line, where it might endanger residents' health. If the owner fails to clear debris after written notice, or if a vacant lot's owner can't be reached in time, the city manager's designee gives seven days' notice to remove it; clutter gets 30 days. Violations are a criminal misdemeanor fine of $100-$1,000 per violation, with each ongoing day a separate offense, and the city can clean the lot itself and bill the cost as a real estate tax lien. As amended through November 2025.
Violations & Fines
Fine of at least $100 but not more than $1,000 per violation; each day the debris or clutter remains is a separate offense, and unpaid city cleanup costs become a real estate tax lien on the lot.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is responsible for a vacant lot's upkeep?
What happens if the owner can't be found?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Hampton
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