Vacant Property Registration Law Adopted

If you own a vacant property in Kent, then you've got to register it with the city starting today.

finally adopted a new law Wednesday night that requires owners of empty commercial and residential properties to pay a yearly registration fee and maintain the land and any buildings on it.

Council passed the new law on its third reading yesterday after two previous votes on the issue in and .

Under the law, owners of vacant residential properties must pay $50 per year to register well-kept properties and $200 annually for properties that are not well-kept, which is defined in the ordinance as: a house or building with windows and doors in place or otherwise boarded up securely; grass is cut, weeds are not present and trees and shrubs are trimmed; and it's free of trash and debris and kept painted.

Owners of vacant commercial properties must pay a steeper fee — $500 for well-kept and $1,000 fee for not well-kept properties.

The law also requires that a vacant property with out-of-town owners post contact information somewhere visible.

In November, council amended the ordinance at the request of Ward 4 Councilman John Kuhar, so residential properties that have been vacant for less than a year or are in the midst of a renovation are exempt.

"I was pleased that in a struggle to defeat, this or at least make a compromise, that the amendment we made ... was accepted," Kuhar said.

Still, he voted against adopting the new law with council members Robin Turner and Tracy Wallach.

Councilman Erik Valenta said he still supports the law even though he may be subject to it himself. Valenta will be moving out of Kent early next year and will likely leave behind an empty house as he tries to sell it.

"I believe it’s good for the city of Kent," he said.