The Washington D.C. Council recently passed legislation that will make it more expensive for owners to hold vacant or blighted property.
The Vacant Property Enforcement Act of 2016 reduces the maximum amount of time a vacant property can qualify for an exemption from higher vacancy tax rates. It also closes a loophole that allows continuous renewal of construction permits to qualify for tax exemptions, and require owners of vacant properties to prove they are no longer subject to the higher tax rates.
"The District has a substantial number of vacant properties, many of which are poorly maintained,” the bill report says. "Property owners may keep their properties vacant or fail to maintain them because they expect property values to rise over time. Poorly maintained and vacant properties can damage surrounding communities by being eyesores, by serving a venue for drug use and by providing a home for rodents or other animals. The net effect is to reduce the feeling of a cohesive community and depress surrounding property values."
The legislation reduces the time an owner can claim an exemption from higher taxes because of construction to one year for residential properties and to two years for commercial properties. Fines for failing to comply with city property regulations will rise from $1,000 to $5,000.
Related Stories
| Feb 19, 2014
Obama Administration moves to boost fuel efficiency standards on heavy-duty vehicles
The Obama Administration wants to boost fuel efficiency of medium- and heavy-duty trucks for models made in 2019 and later.
| Feb 19, 2014
Net Positive Energy + Water is latest green certification standard
The advancement of sustainable construction has reached a new milestone with the development of Net Positive Energy+Water, a new green building certification standard that aims to improve net zero approaches to energy and water conservation.
| Feb 19, 2014
Obama’s climate resilience panel says PVs, cool roofs should be part of solution
Among the suggestions were rooftop solar energy systems and cool roofs, which could be encouraged by policies from local governments.
| Feb 19, 2014
OSHA proposes three-year postponement of crane operator certification requirement
OSHA’s proposal to postpone the compliance date for crane operator certification by three years was made official on Feb. 7 when it was published in the Federal Register.
| Feb 19, 2014
USGBC introduces new online educational platform
The U.S. Green Building Council has introduced “Education @USGBC” a new educational platform.
| Feb 17, 2014
Channeling weather forecasts to building systems can yield significant energy savings
Using weather forecasts to predict outdoor temperature changes can lead to significant energy savings, exceeding 10%, researchers say.
| Feb 17, 2014
Lawmakers may take away control of Florida hospital project from the VA
The project is $100 million over budget and has missed its scheduled completion date.
| Feb 17, 2014
Business, labor at odds over toughening of OSHA silica dust rule
OSHA says the rules will protect workers and prevent 700 fatalities annually. Others say the rules would hurt businesses and jobs.
| Feb 17, 2014
Tulsa, Okla., mulls code change to require storm shelters in new schools
State and city officials are pushing for increased bonding capacity to pay for the storm shelters.
| Feb 13, 2014
Appraisal Institute issues guidelines on evaluating green property
The Appraisal Institute and the Institute for Market Transformation have issued guidelines for training property appraisers to evaluate green buildings.
