Oak Park property owners who ignore village code violations face fines up to $750, mandatory registration fees and the possibility of losing their buildings.

The Oak Park Village Board voted unanimously on Tuesday, Oct. 13, to overhaul the village's nuisance and vacant property ordinance, as first reported by the Wednesday Journal. The board combined two separate code chapters into a single enforcement framework with steeper penalties and waived a second reading, putting the changes into effect immediately. Trustee Chibuike Enyia was absent.

The ordinance targets the kind of properties that have frustrated Oak Park residents for years. The IHOP at 6501 W. North Ave. has been vacant since it closed in 2016. The Mohr Concrete facility at 915 S. Maple Ave. closed in 2018 and has faced ownership disputes and repeated vandalism. Heritage House at 201 Lake St. racked up 10 citations in adjudication court in July.

How the penalties work

A property can be labeled a "nuisance" if a violation goes uncorrected for 45 days after a citation is issued. The board adjusted that timeline at the meeting, extending the clock from 45 days after the initial violation notice to 45 days after the citation.

Properties that receive more than two violation notices for the same condition within six months, or four within a year, can also be designated nuisance properties even if the owner temporarily fixes the problem each time.

Once designated, owners face a maximum fine of $750, a $200 registration fee and a $500 inspection fee. They must submit a remediation plan the village will monitor.

Water bills as a vacancy detector

Jonathan Burch, director of Neighborhood Services, told the board the village plans to use water billing data to proactively identify vacant properties. Until the change, the village relied on owners to self-report vacancies.

"That said, we also have property owners who are not necessarily engaging as earnestly in the process," Burch said.

If a property is unresponsive and meets state requirements for abandonment, the village can file a petition to seize it. Burch said seized properties could serve affordable housing needs the board has previously discussed.

Trustee Cory Wesley, with support from other board members, pushed to remove "weeds or other plant growth" from the list of unsanitary conditions that could trigger a violation. Trustee Derek Eder raised the idea of publishing data on the worst nuisance and vacant properties, though no decision on data sharing was made at the meeting.

The former IHOP building at 6501 W. North Ave. was demolished during the week ending Oct. 9, according to the village manager's weekly report.