Ohio Statutory Tools for Blighted Property Abatement

ORC 1.08 defines blighted property and blighted area for purposes triggering eminent domain and abatement. ORC Chapter 323 authorizes county land banks (county land reutilization corporations) to acquire tax-delinquent and blighted parcels through expedited foreclosure procedures available statewide. ORC 3767.41 (the spot blight statute) lets municipalities, tenants, or neighbors petition courts to appoint a receiver for buildings constituting a public nuisance, with the receiver authorized to abate, repair, and place a first-priority lien for costs. ORC 715.26 grants cities power to require demolition. These remedies are uniformly available, though municipalities choose how aggressively to apply them.

Receivership liens take priority over most other claims; failure to abate can lead to property loss, demolition recovery liens, and contempt of court for noncompliance with abatement orders.