(a) 
Any buildings as described and defined in this section shall be, and the same are, hereby declared to be a public nuisance and unlawful:
(1) 
Any building with roof, ceiling, floors, sills or foundations, or any combination thereof, rotted or decayed and falling apart, or windows out, or uninhabitable, untenable, and unsightly, due to obsolescence and deterioration caused by neglect or vandalism or fire damage or old age or the elements;
(2) 
Any building in danger of falling and injuring a person or property or another;
(3) 
Any building which is a fire menace, to wit, by being in a dilapidated condition as described in subsections (1) and (2) and which has an accumulation of rubbish and trash which is likely to become a fire, or to be set on fire, in and around the building and endanger the person or property of others;
(4) 
Any building which is in the condition or conditions described in subsection (1), (2) or (3) which is damp and in an unsanitary condition, which is likely to create disease and sickness.
(b) 
When used in this article, the term “building” shall include any structure of any kind or any part thereof.
(1987 Code, sec. 5-211)
An inspection shall be made of every building located within the city which is suspected of being in violation of this article. The building inspector is hereby authorized to conduct inspections of buildings suspected of being in violation of this article.
(1987 Code, sec. 5-212)
Whenever a violation of this article has been discovered and reported by an inspector, the owner of the premises involved and the occupant, if any, shall be given written notification of the nature of the violation and the date on which a reinspection shall be made to determine if the violation has been eliminated. No reinspection shall be made until the person responsible for a violation under the provisions of this article has been given a reasonable time to eliminate the violation.
(1987 Code, sec. 5-213)
Whenever a violation of this article is discovered upon reinspection and the violation presents an immediate danger of injury to the occupants of the premises or to an adjoining property or persons or to the public and the cost of alleviating the violation is not reasonably related to the value of the building, a notice of intent to order the demolition of the building shall be served on the owner by the building inspector or by the city council, by certified mail, to the post office address of the owner as the same is shown on the city tax rolls. Return of said notice as “refused” or “unclaimed” shall have no effect on the validity thereof. If his address is unknown and cannot by the exercise of reasonable diligence be ascertained, then notice shall be by publication, not less than two (2) times within ten (10) consecutive days, in the official newspaper; and if the violation is not eliminated within thirty (30) days from the date of the notice, the city may demolish and remove the building or cause the same to be done and charge the expenses incurred in doing such work or having the same done to the owner of the land; and if such work is done at the expense of the city, then such expense shall be assessed against any salvage resulting from the demolition of the building and against the lot, tract or parcel of land, or to the premises upon which such expense was incurred. For the purposes of this section, any repair, alteration or
improvement which is determined by the building inspector to cost more than fifty (50) percent of the gross assessed valuation of the building, exclusive of land value, shall be deemed not to be reasonably related to the value of the building; provided, however, the city may elect to obtain a judicial determination by a decree of a court of competent jurisdiction of the existence, in fact, of a public nuisance in cases contemplated by this article. Such judicial determination may include any available remedy for the abatement of such a nuisance. If the municipality elects to obtain abatement of the nuisance through judicial decree, it shall be unnecessary to serve the owner with a notice to demolish.
(1987 Code, sec. 5-214; Ordinance adopting Code)
The city council or the building inspector shall file a statement of such expenses incurred in the demolition or removal of the building, giving the amount of such expense, and the date on which the work was done or improvements made, with the county clerk. The city shall have a privileged lien on such lot, other premises or real estate upon which the building was located, to secure the expenditure so made, which lien shall be second only to tax liens and liens for street improvements. The amount of the lien shall bear ten (10) percent interest from the date such statement was filed. For any such expenditure and interest, as provided in this section, suit may be instituted and recovered, and foreclosure of such liens may be made in the name of the city.
The statement of expenses so made, as provided in this section, or a certified copy thereof, shall be prima facie proof of the amount expended for such work or expense.
(1987 Code, sec. 5-215)
The provisions of this article shall be cumulative of all other ordinances or parts of ordinances governing or regulating the same subject matter as that covered in this article. All prior ordinances or parts of ordinances inconsistent or in conflict with any of the provisions of this article are hereby expressly repealed to the extent that such inconsistency is apparent.
(1987 Code, sec. 5-216)
Any person who shall violate any provision of this article shall be guilty of an offense and, upon conviction, shall be punished as provided in section 1.01.009. In case the owner or occupant of any building under the provisions of this article shall be a corporation and shall violate any of the provisions of this article, the president, vice-president, secretary, and treasurer of such corporation, or the manager, agent or employee of such corporation, shall also be severally liable for the penalties provided in section 1.01.009 for a violation of this article.
(1987 Code, sec. 5-217)