Atchison, KS, approves creation of vacant property registration ordinance

Atchison, KS: City Commissioners have approved a vacant property registration ordinance, which is effective immediately.

Owners of vacant properties will have 60 days to register, and there are two sets of registration fees:
Set 1: $25 for residential, and $100 for commercial
Set 2: $1000 for residential, and $2000 for commercial if the property is a foreclosure

Fees may be waived, by request and review, if the property has had zero code violations for minimum of 12 months, and passes an inspection by the City building inspector. Properties actively marketed for sale or under active rehabilitation efforts may also be exempt from fees. Even if fees are waived, the property must still be registered per the requirements.

Failure to register can result in fines of $400 and if a property remains vacant for more than 1 year the fee increases by $250 for residential and by $500 for commercial; with additional fine totals increasing of 10% of previous costs for each additional year of vacancy.

Additional provisions to the ordinance will be rolled out during 2021, in order to allow those affected to familiarize themselves with the new ordinance requirements.

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