[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of the City of Galax as indicated
in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 11-13-1990]
This article may be known and referred to as the "City of Galax Building
Maintenance Code."
The Engineering Department is hereby designated to act as the enforcing
agency for the enforcement of Volume II. The Building Maintenance Code, of
the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code, duly adopted by the Virginia
Board of Housing and Community Development under authority of § 36-98
and 36-103, Code of Virginia. Enforcement shall be according to the terms
of this article.
The enforcement procedures of Volume II, The Building Maintenance Code, shall be instituted by the Code Official and administered in accordance with the provisions set forth in § 37-5.
The local Board of Appeals is hereby designated as the Appeals Board
to hear appeals arising from the application of the provisions of Volume II,
The Building Maintenance Code.
The Code Official shall establish such procedures or requirements as
may be necessary for the administration and enforcement of this chapter.
[Adopted 8-13-2001]
The owners of property within the City of Galax shall, at such time
or times as the City Manager may prescribe, remove, repair or secure any building,
wall or any other structure which might endanger the public health or safety
of the other residents of the City.
A.
The City of Galax, through its own agents or employees,
may remove, repair or secure any building, wall or other structure which might
endanger the public health or safety of other residents of the City, if the
owner and lien holder of such property, after reasonable notice and a reasonable
time to do so, has failed to remove, repair or secure the building, wall or
other structure.
(1)
For purposes of this section, "repair" may include maintenance
work to the exterior of a building to prevent deterioration of the building
or adjacent buildings.
(2)
For purposes of this section, "reasonable notice" includes
a written notice mailed by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested,
sent to the last known address of the property owner and published once a
week for two successive weeks in a newspaper having general circulation in
the City of Galax.
B.
No action shall be taken by the City of Galax to remove,
repair or secure any building, wall or any other structure for at least thirty
days following the later of the return of the receipt or newspaper publication.
In the event that the City of Galax, through its own agents or employees,
removes, repairs or secures any building, wall or any other structure after
complying with the notice provisions required herein, the cost or expenses
thereof shall be chargeable to and paid by the owners of such property and
may be collected by the City of Galax as taxes are collected.
Every charge authorized herein with which the owner of any such property
has been assessed and which remains unpaid shall constitute a lien against
such property ranking on a party with liens for unpaid local taxes and shall
be enforceable in the same manner as authorized by the Code of Virginia, as
amended.
