Local government: nuisance abatement.

Senator Richardson's nuisance abatement legislation expands local governments' authority to collect fines through property liens and special assessments when addressing health and safety violations. The measure allows cities and counties to impose fines specifically for electrical, plumbing, and structural code violations that create immediate dangers, with collected funds dedicated to building code enforcement and housing rehabilitation programs.

The bill requires local agencies to establish hardship waiver processes for property owners who demonstrate good faith compliance efforts and financial constraints. Before imposing fines, authorities must provide reasonable time periods for correcting violations, except in cases posing immediate health or safety risks. Cities and counties can recover costs through nuisance abatement liens or special assessments against properties, following existing procedures for tax collection and enforcement.

To ensure accountability, the legislation mandates that recovered penalties support local building and fire code enforcement activities and contribute to municipal revolving loan funds for rehabilitating substandard housing. The measure includes provisions for attorney fee recovery by prevailing parties in abatement proceedings, while maintaining existing protections for bona fide purchasers and encumbrancers. These expanded enforcement authorities sunset on January 1, 2035, at which point the law reverts to current provisions.

The bill preserves fundamental due process requirements, including notice to property owners and opportunities for hearings before abatement actions. Local legislative bodies retain flexibility to delegate hearing responsibilities to designated boards or appointed hearing officers, maintaining existing administrative frameworks while enhancing enforcement capabilities.