In many jurisdictions, the legislature has enacted a set of rules or statutes that address issues regarding the appearance and upkeep of property, acceptable noise levels on property, and various other laws that property owners must abide by. When a property owner is in violation of one of the local ordinances or laws, he or she may receive an abatement notice. The purpose of an abatement notice is to inform the property owner of the violation, indicate what action must be taken to correct the violation, and notify the property owner of the consequences if the violation is not corrected.
A property owner, whether in a residential or commercial area, must abide by the local ordinances and laws regarding the appearance of the property and the activities conducted therein. For instance, in a residential neighborhood, local ordinances may prevent non-functioning vehicles from being parked on the property. Local ordinances may also requires yards to be kept up, weeds to be removed, and trees to be trimmed on a regular basis. On commercial properties, local ordinances may also address issues regarding the upkeep of the property, as well as noise levels or parking issues, just to name a few examples.
When a property owner is found to be in violation of one of the local ordinances or laws, the local agency responsible for enforcement may issue an abatement notice to the owner of the property. An abatement notice will generally be sent certified or registered mail to ensure that the owner received the notice. A property owner should not ignore an abatement notice as there are often serious consequences if the issue is not rectified in a timely manner.
The contents of the abatement notice may vary by jurisdiction; however, in most cases, the notice will indicate what violation has been found. Common examples of a violation include overgrown grass, trees that are creating a hazard and need to be pruned, abandoned or non-functioning vehicles on the property, or excessive noise. The precise violation will be noted as well as a reference to the local ordinance or code that addresses the violation.
The abatement notice will also tell the property owner what he or she must do to fix the violation, as well as indicate how long the property owner has to correct the violation. If the property owner does not agree with the violation, then the notice will also include instructions for how to appeal the notice of violation. Failure to appeal the notice of violation is usually taken as an agreement that the property owner was in violation. The notice will also indicate what option the jurisdiction has if the property owner fails to correct the violation, such as removal, repair, or demolition, depending on the subject of the violation. Any action taken by the jurisdiction to correct the problem will be billed to the property owner, in most cases.