Abatement Process

1. Upon inspection of the violation, the Code Enforcement Officer will issue a written warning letter and photos of the violation to the property owner, owner’s agent, and/or the occupant, which details:

• That the activity, land, building, structure, sign, or use is in violation of a city ordinance or code adopted by the City;
• The nature of the violation and citation of the section(s) of the code/ordinance violated; 
• The time frame for compliance;
• Mechanisms available to appeal the decision of the code enforcement officer; and
• Potential consequences of non-compliance

2. Any owner or occupant who has received a notice of violation may appeal the warning to the Community Development Director.  The Director shall respond to an appeal within a reasonable time and may affirm, modify, or revoke the notice of violation. If no appeal is made, the warning notice and timeframe for compliance are applicable until the violation is resolved.

3. Recipients of a warning notice are given a first, second, and final written warning notice, each carrying a compliance deadline.  If compliance is not achieved before the final compliance deadline, a citation is issued to the property owner(s) of record according to the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation.

4. Recipients of a citation for a code violation may request a trial within 20 days of the receipt of the citation, or must pay a fine within 30 days of the receipt of the citation.

5. If the property owner fails to request a court date or pay the citation fee, the case is then transferred to Allegany County District Court.