(a)
The city shall have a lien on real property for delinquent bills for utility service provided to the property, under the conditions imposed in this section. The lien shall not extend to property which is a homestead as protected by the state constitution.
(b)
The lien provided for herein shall not apply to bills for service connected in a tenant’s name after notice by the property owner to the city that the property is rental property. The lien provided for herein shall not apply to bills for service connected in a tenant’s name prior to the effective date of this section (ordinance adopted February 4, 2002).
(c)
The utility lien shall be perfected by recording in the real property records of the county a notice of lien containing a legal description of the property and the account number for the delinquent charges. The lien shall extend to and include any penalties, interest and costs imposed by this article. The utility lien imposed herein shall be inferior to any bona fide mortgage lien recorded before the recordation of the utility lien in the real property records of the county. The utility lien shall be superior to all other liens, including previously recorded judgment liens and liens recorded after the recordation of the utility lien.
(Ordinance 2002-02-00460, sec. 1, adopted 2/4/02)