Sussex Co. Streamlines Problem Property Mitigation

Problem properties will be dealt with more effectively in Sussex County.

County Council has adopted several ordinances to move the procedure for dealing with messy properties from the courts to an administrative practice. The move follows passage of legislation in the Delaware General Assembly that streamlines the process of identifying and resolving issues surrounding properties where junk cars, litter and weeds proliferate.

While most are simple fixes, County Administrator Todd Lawson says some properties start to take up lots of time for county code officers, and once a dispute reaches court it could take as long as 90 days to come to a resolution. Now, county officials hope to have such matters resolved in as little as 30 days.

“It’s one of the biggest complaints we hear from constituents: problems with tall grass, junk cars, and litter on properties,” Lawson added. “Most violations are fairly simple fixes, but there are a few that are time-consuming for our code officers. The public wants results as quickly as possible, and we believe these steps will help us deliver those results so Sussex Countians can enjoy and be proud of the way their community looks.”