CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio — The City of Circleville has begun enforcing a new civil penalty system for nuisance property violations, replacing a criminal charge process officials described as “largely ineffective and costly.”
The change, codified under Section 501.17 of the city’s ordinances, lets the city’s Code Enforcement Officer issue administrative fines rather than pursue criminal charges against property owners who violate rules covering weeds and litter, trees and shrubs, zoning, animal control and property maintenance, according to the city.
Fines climb with each repeat violation at the same property. A first offense costs $50, followed by $100 for a second, $175 for a third, $200 for a fourth and $225 for a fifth, the city said. Beginning with a sixth offense, violations again become criminal, rising from a fourth-degree misdemeanor up to a first-degree misdemeanor by a ninth offense. Unpaid fines are added to the property owner’s utility bill.
Property owners can appeal a citation within 14 days of receiving it by filing a written request with the Code Enforcement Officer at 104 E. Franklin St., according to the city. Land use infractions are handled under a separate fine schedule.
The city detailed the new process in its weekly “Q&A Corner” feature on Facebook, where residents submit questions about municipal government and city departments respond directly. One resident asked why the city doesn’t take a more proactive approach toward properties with long-standing violations, including whether city employees who spot problems themselves can start enforcement without waiting for a complaint.
City officials said employees can and do report nuisance properties to the Code Enforcement Officer, and that the escalating fine structure is meant to push repeat offenders toward compliance more effectively than the previous criminal process did.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the City of Circleville.
