Condemnation Process

How the Condemnation Process Works

A building or property is condemned when it becomes hazardous to the health, safety, or welfare of the residents of Cape Girardeau. It may become hazardous because of a fire, storm damage, or a severe state of disrepair or neglect.

A building or property may not be condemned simply because it may require some maintenance work.

Once a property has been condemned, the structure can not be occupied by anyone until it has been repaired to meet all current City Code standards and the property removed from the condemnation list.

The only other way a property can be removed from the condemnation list is by demolishing the structure and restoring the site to grade and covering it with grass seed and straw.

Per Chapter 7, Article XIII of the City Code, if a building is damaged, decayed, or deteriorated to an extent that is more than 50% of the market value of the property, it MUST be demolished.

When your property is condemned, it must go through a lengthy process in order to ensure due process of law.

A title search will be requested to determine the legal owner of the property, and any other interested parties in the property, such as loan companies or banks holding deeds of trust. Once the title search is received, a Condemnation Report, describing each specific item that will need to be corrected in order to remove the building from the condemnation list, is sent to all interested parties by certified mail informing them of the condemnation. This notice gives the owner thirty (30) days in which to begin repairing or demolishing the property.

At the end of the 30-day period, an inspection will be made to determine if the repairs or demolition have been started, or in some instances, completed. If the repairs or demolition are not complete at the time of inspection, a date will be set for a hearing before the Building Supervisor. A notice of the time and date of the hearing is sent to the legal owner and all interested parties by certified mail.

At the hearing, the Building Supervisor will hear comments from the owner regarding the property and the time frame in which is needed to complete the repairs or demolition. If repairs have not been made or the property demolished by the end of the time given , the City may advertise for bids to demolish all structures on the property. If the City has the property demolished, a tax bill will be issued for the cost of the demolition. This tax bill will be a lien against the property.