505.86 Removal, repair or securance of insecure, unsafe buildings or structures.
505.86 Removal, repair or securance of insecure, unsafe buildings or structures.
(A) As used in this section, “total cost” means any costs incurred due to the use of employees, materials, or equipment of the township, any costs arising out of contracts for labor, materials, or equipment, and costs of service of notice or publication required under this section.
(B) A board of township trustees may provide for the removal, repair, or securance of buildings or other structures in the township that have been declared insecure, unsafe, or structurally defective by any fire department under contract with the township or by the county building department or other authority responsible under Chapter 3781. of the Revised Code for the enforcement of building regulations or the performance of building inspections in the township, or buildings or other structures that have been declared unfit for human habitation by the board of health of the general health district of which the township is a part.
At least thirty days prior to the removal, repair, or securance of any insecure, unsafe, or structurally defective building, the board of township trustees shall give notice by certified mail of its intention with respect to the removal, repair, or securance to the holders of legal or equitable liens of record upon the real property on which the building is located and to owners of record of the property. If the owner’s address is unknown and cannot reasonably be obtained, it is sufficient to publish the notice once in a newspaper of general circulation in the township. The owners of record of the property or the holders of liens of record upon the property may enter into an agreement with the board to perform the removal, repair, or securance of the insecure, unsafe, or structurally defective building. If an emergency exists, as determined by the board, notice may be given other than by certified mail and less than thirty days prior to the removal, repair, or securance.
(C) A board may collect the total cost of removing, repairing, or securing buildings or other structures that have been declared insecure, unsafe, structurally defective, or unfit for human habitation, or of making emergency corrections of hazardous conditions, by either of the following methods:
(1) The board may have the fiscal officer of the township certify the total costs, together with a proper description of the lands to the county auditor who shall place the costs upon the tax duplicate. The costs are a lien upon the lands from and after the date of entry. The costs shall be collected as other taxes and returned to the township general fund.
(2) The board may commence a civil action to recover the total costs from the owner.
(D) Any board may, whenever a policy or policies of insurance are in force providing coverage against the peril of fire on a building or structure and the loss agreed to between the named insured or insureds and the company or companies is more than five thousand dollars and equals or exceeds sixty per cent of the aggregate limits of liability on all fire policies covering the building or structure on the property, accept security payments and follow the procedures of divisions (C) and (D) of section 3929.86 of the Revised Code.
Effective Date: 03-17-1987; 12-20-2005