[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Board of the Township of
Putnam 2-19-1986 by Ord. No. 21 (Ch. 7 of the 2004 Township Code).
Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter is to secure the public peace, health,
safety and welfare of the residents and property owners of the Township
of Putnam, by the regulation of uncompleted, abandoned, dilapidated
or deteriorated buildings injurious to life or health, within said
Township; and to provide for the abatement of all buildings or structures
which are structurally unsafe or not provided with adequate egress,
or which constitute a fire hazard, or are otherwise dangerous to human
life, or which in relation to existing use constitute a hazard to
safety or health, or public welfare, by reason of inadequate maintenance,
dilapidation, obsolescence, or abandonment; and to provide for the
abatement of such hazardous buildings or structures; and to repeal
all ordinances and parts of ordinances in conflict therewith.
A.
No building or structure, whether now existing or hereafter erected,
shall be left in a dangerous or hazardous condition by virtue of disrepair,
depreciation, damage by fire, collapse, or act of God, or by virtue
of any other cause, but shall be forthwith repaired or rehabilitated,
and the dangerous or hazardous condition removed by the owner or occupant
thereof, or in the alternative, torn down and removed, and any excavation
thereunder filled to grade level.
B.
All buildings or structures that are structurally unsafe or not provided
with adequate egress, or that constitute a fire hazard, or are otherwise
dangerous to human life, or that in relation to existing use constitute
a hazard to safety or health, or public welfare, by reason of inadequate
maintenance, dilapidation, obsolescence, or abandonment are, for the
purpose of this chapter, unsafe buildings. All unsafe buildings shall
be taken down and removed, or made safe and secure, as the Township
Board may deem necessary, and as provided in this chapter. All such
unsafe buildings are hereby declared to be public nuisances.
C.
No building so damaged or destroyed to such an extent that the cost
of repair and rehabilitation to place it in a safe, sound and sanitary
condition exceeds 75% of the assessed valuation of the building, at
the time the repairs or rehabilitation are to be made, shall be repaired
or rehabilitated unless it is made to comply in all respects with
the provisions of all ordinances, laws and regulations of the Township
of Putnam, County of Livingston and State of Michigan, governing such
building. If the building is unfit for human habitation as a result
of destruction, it shall be immediately vacated, and unless made to
comply with all of the provisions of the ordinances, laws, and regulations
of the Township of Putnam, County of Livingston and State of Michigan,
it shall be demolished and removed within a reasonable time after
the damage has occurred, but in no event more than 120 days after
the date of destruction.
D.
Whenever it shall be certified by an official of Putnam Township,
or of Livingston County, or of the State of Michigan, that a building
is infected with contagious disease or is unfit for human habitation,
or dangerous to life or health by reason of want of repair or of defects
in the drainage, plumbing, lighting, ventilation, or the construction
of the same, or by reason of the existence on the premises of a nuisance
likely to cause sickness among the occupants of said building or pose
a danger to others in the vicinity of said building, the supervisor
or his agent may issue an order requiring all persons therein to vacate
such building within not less than 24 hours, nor more than 10 days
for the reasons to be mentioned in said order. In case such order
is not complied with within the time specified, the supervisor or
his agent may cause said dwelling to be vacated. Whenever the supervisor
or his agent is satisfied that the danger from said building has ceased
to exist or is fit for human habitation, he may revoke said order
or may extend the time within which to comply with same.
E.
Whenever any building, structure, or the premises upon which it is
located, or the plumbing, sewage, drainage, lighting, or ventilation
thereof is, in the opinion of the Supervisor of Putnam Township, or
his agent, dangerous or detrimental to life, safety, public welfare
or health of the persons in or around said building, structure or
premises, such officer may declare that the same, to the extent he
may specify, is a public nuisance, and may order the same to be removed,
abated, suspended, altered or otherwise improved, or purified as the
order specifies.
A.
When, in the opinion of the Supervisor of Putnam Township, or his
agent, there is actual and immediate danger of failure or collapse
of a building or structure or when any structure or part of a structure
has fallen and life is endangered by those occupying the building,
or those persons coming within the vicinity of the building, the Supervisor
of Putnam Township, or his agent, is authorized and empowered to order
and require the occupants to vacate the same forthwith.
(1)
He
shall cause to be posted at each entrance to such building a notice
reading substantially as follows:
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THIS BUILDING IS UNSAFE AND ITS USE OR OCCUPANCY HAS BEEN
PROHIBITED BY PUTNAM TOWNSHIP.
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(2)
It
shall be unlawful for any person to enter such building or structure
except for the purpose of making the required repairs or of demolishing
the same.
B.
When, in the opinion of the Supervisor of Putnam Township or his
agent, there is actual and immediate danger of collapse or failure
of a building or structure or any part thereof that would endanger
life, he shall cause the necessary work to be done to render such
building or structure or part thereof temporarily safe, whether or
not the legal procedure herein described has been instituted.
A.
A person violating this chapter is guilty of a municipal civil infraction as provided in Chapter 55.
[Amended 4-19-2000 by Ord. No. 21A]
B.
Any person or entity guilty of violating this chapter shall also
be subject to civil proceedings for damages and/or injunctive relief
by the Township or by any person or entity injured or damaged by such
violation. Commencement of any such proceedings shall not constitute
an election of remedies.
C.
In addition to the above, any building that continues to violate
the provisions of this chapter, or otherwise constitutes a nuisance,
after the owner or occupant has been ordered by the Township to make
the same comply, or to demolish or remove such building, may, in the
discretion of the Township Board, be made to comply or be demolished
and removed by the Township Board or its agents, and the cost thereof
collected from the owner or occupant of said premises. If the owner
or occupant refuses to pay such costs, the same may be assessed against
the property of the owner or occupant and collected in the same manner
as are taxes assessed under the general laws of the State of Michigan.
