[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Altoona 3-8-2021 by Ord. No. 5777. Amendments noted where applicable.]
The purpose of this chapter shall be to implement the Act of
October 20, 2020, P. L. No. 101, entitled the "Municipality Condemnation
Order Act," to authorize certain City officials to impose, file, record,
and/or vacate condemnation orders, to recover the cost of recordation,
and to ensure the orderly administration of the provisions of the
Act.
As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
A declaration by an authorized official of the City of Altoona
that a dwelling, building, structure or premises is unfit for human
habitation or other use or conditions exist that are dangerous or
injurious to the health or safety of the occupants of the dwelling,
building, structure or premises, the occupants of neighboring dwellings
or other residents of the City of Altoona and which declaration includes
a demand for the owner to take corrective action to the dwelling,
building, structure or premises.
A.
Authorized
officials. The City Manager, the City Solicitor, or the Director of
the Department of Codes and Inspections may issue, file, record and/or
vacate a condemnation order with the Office of Recorder of Deeds in
Blair County.
B.
Constructive
notice. If recorded, the condemnation order shall be constructive
notice to all purchasers and other persons who are responsible for
the property.
C.
Notice
to utilities. Upon filing a condemnation order, the City shall give
notice to all utilities serving the property requesting termination
of utility service and that such utility service not be restored to
the premises until the order is vacated. Any such request shall also
include a request for removal of any applicable utility meter if it
is required by the applicable utility supplier to formally terminate
utility service to the property.
The City of Altoona may recover the cost of recording a condemnation
order on a property from the tax sale proceeds or directly from the
purchaser of the property.
As authorized by Act of October 20, 2020, P.L. No. 101, the
"Municipality Condemnation Order Act," notwithstanding Section 612(a)
of the Act of July 7, 1947 (P. L. 1368, No. 542), known as the Real
Estate Tax Sale Law, a properly recorded condemnation order shall
be a lien on the property and shall not be affected by an upset sale,
a judicial sale or a repository sale of the property.
After a condemnation order on a property has been recorded under
this chapter, if the City of Altoona vacates the condemnation order,
the City shall, within 15 days of the condemnation order being vacated,
record with the Office of Recorder of Deeds of Blair County a statement
indicating that the condemnation order has been vacated.
