Trenton, NJ, steps up measures dealing with vacant property, blighted properties

Trenton, NJ: After a summer study in the city found some 6,300 vacant properties, 3,00 buildings, and 2,400 lots, a homestead program – where properties could be sold to first-time homeowners for as low as $1 – was decided upon to allow an influx of would-be landowners with the desire to rejuvenate the city.

Not stopping there, the city council unanimously agreed last week to expand the city’s vacant property registration with an ordinance involving escalating fees.

Owners of vacant properties will be required to pay a $250 registration fee. If the property remains vacant after a year, the fee will increase to a $400 payment. Year three of vacancy fees will come to $750, with years of vacancy beyond three clocking in at a $1,000 fee or 5 percent of an assessed value of the property, whichever value proves to be the greater.

Fees may be waived if the building is brought up to code, and if plans for removing the vacant status have been laid out and are underway. Property owners that do not respond to the proposed registration and escalation fees could have their properties foreclosed upon.

The city’s message is clear: Vacant properties will not be left to deteriorate, causing decline in safety and surrounding property values. Either a property is occupied, or the owner is paying to keep it unoccupied.

Ascent combines focused experience with centralized operations oversite to create innovative solutions to manage code violations, vacant property registration ordinances, and vendor management services across the entire United States.