It is the finding of the City Council of the City of Watertown
that buildings in the City which remain vacant are unsightly, unsafe
and have a negative effect on their surroundings. This is particularly
troublesome in City residential and commercial neighborhoods. Unfortunately,
many buildings, once vacant, remain that way for many years. The purpose
of this chapter is to establish a program in the City of Watertown
to identify and register vacant buildings; to determine the responsibilities
of owners of vacant buildings and structures; to ensure that the structures
do not deteriorate; and to speed the rehabilitation process of vacant
properties.
Unless otherwise expressly stated, the following terms shall,
for the purpose of this chapter, have the meanings indicated in this
section:
OWNER
Those shown to be the owner or owners on the records of the
City of Watertown Assessor's office, those identified as owner
or owners on a vacant building registration form, or a mortgagee in
possession, assignee of rents, receiver, executor, trustee, lessee,
or other firm, corporation or person(s) in control of the premises.
Any such persons shall have a joint and several obligations for compliance
with the provisions of this chapter.
UNSECURED
A building or portion of a building which is open to entry
by unauthorized persons without the use of tools or ladders.
VACANT BUILDING
A.
A building or portion of building in the City of Watertown which
is:
(2)
Unoccupied and secured by other than normal means;
(3)
Unoccupied and unsafe as determined by a Code Enforcement Officer;
(4)
Unoccupied and has multiple housing or building code violations;
(6)
Unoccupied building for sale or rent and has multiple housing
or building code violations which are not under repair with a valid
building permit.
B.
A vacant building with properly maintained building and grounds
which meets the State Property Maintenance Code is exempt from registration.
(This includes vacant buildings for sale or rent, provided that the
property is being actively marketed for sale or rent).
The Code Enforcement Officer shall inspect any premises in the
City believed to be a vacant building for the purpose of enforcing
and assuring compliance with the provisions of this chapter. Upon
the request of the Code Enforcement Officer, an owner may be required
to provide access to all interior portions of an unoccupied building
in order to permit a complete inspection.
Once a year, the Code Enforcement Officer shall provide the
City Manager with a list of all buildings in the City declared vacant
under the provisions of this chapter, as well as a list of all previously
declared vacant buildings which are no longer subject to the provisions
of this chapter. This listing shall be forwarded to the City Council.
Any person violating any provisions of this chapter, including,
but not limited to, failure to register, or providing false information
to the Code Enforcement Bureau, shall be subject to the following
penalties:
A. Such person will be subject to a penalty of $500 for the first month
and $1,000 for each subsequent month that the registration required
by this chapter is not timely performed. The term "person," as used
in this section, will include the owner, occupant, mortgagee or vendee
in possession, assignee of rents, receiver, executor, administrator,
trustee, lessee, agent or any other person, firm or corporation directly
in control of the building or part thereof.