Perrysburg Twp. gets upkeep code

8/14/2003
BY MICHAEL LOPRESTI
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Unkempt yards, ramshackle tool sheds, and broken-down cars parked on lawns soon may be things of the past throughout Perrysburg Township.

The township has adopted the International Property Maintenance Code developed by the International Code Council, which is a standardized set of property maintenance regulations used throughout the world.

The new code took effect earlier this month, said Perrysburg Township administrator John Hrosko.

According to Barbara Gunn, trustees chairman, the code will be applicable to all properties in the township.

Previously, the township could enforce only property maintenance regulations in zoned areas. Unzoned areas were under the jurisdiction of Wood County officials. The new code addresses the upkeep of unzoned areas of the township, Mrs. Gunn said.

The extensive code covers a wide range of property maintenance concerns, including fire safety requirements, mechanical and electrical requirements, plumbing facilities and fixture requirements, and occupancy limitations.

It also provides guidelines for the external appearance of township properties, as in the following passage addressing the presence of a motor vehicle on a property:

“No inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicle shall be parked, kept, or stored on any premises, and no vehicle shall at any time be in a state of major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled,” the code states.

The code also sets out guidelines for how the regulations should be enforced, including a system of notices, orders, and appeals for those who are found to be in violation of the code.

“There have been a few complaints around the township, and the depth of this property maintenance code gives more power to the township to correct longstanding violations,” Mr. Hrosko said.

“It really hurts people's property when a building next to you is falling down,” Mrs. Gunn said.

“I don't think it's going to be a witch hunt, but if there are gross violations, they will come before the trustees and they will have the code as a tool,” Mr. Hrosko said.