Earlier editions: 2026-07
Chapter 24 — Property Maintenance
Compton Municipal Code § 24-3 Nuisance Abatement
Compton Municipal Code · 2026-10 edition · updated 2026-10-04 · Compton
Cite as: Compton Municipal Code § 24-3 · Text as of 2026-10-04
§ 24-3.1. Abatement After Hearing.¶
[Ord. #2174, § 1]
Any property owner shall have the right to abate the public nuisance in accordance with the City Council's resolution ordering abatement, at his own expense, provided the same is done prior to the expiration of the time set forth in the resolution. Upon compliance with the resolution by the owner, the proceedings hereunder shall be deemed terminated. If such nuisance is not completely abated by the owner, as directed, within the time set forth in the resolution, then the City Manager shall cause the same to be abated by City forces or private contract. All expenses so incurred by the City in connection therewith, plus a 10% charge for the City's administrative costs shall be charged to and become an indebtedness of the owner of such property, as well as a lien upon the affected property, as elsewhere provided in this Chapter.
§ 24-3.2. Costs of Abatement.¶
[Ord. #2174, § 1]
If the nuisance is not completely abated by the owner as directed within the time frame established by the City Manager or his/her designee(s), or as said time frame may be modified on appeal to the Hearing Officer or City Council, all incidental enforcement costs incurred by the City in connection therewith shall be charged to and become an indebtedness of the owner of such property, except as provided below, as well as a lien upon the affected property whether or not the work is performed later by the City, by the owner or by others. "Incidental enforcement costs" include, but are not limited to the actual expenses and costs of the City in investigating the nuisance, obtaining title information, preparing notices and performing inspections.
§ 24-3.3. Abatement by City; Notice.¶
[Ord. #2174, § 1]
If the nuisance is not completely abated by the owner within the designated abatement period, the City Manager or such other City Official as may be designated by him/her shall serve notice on the owner of the affected property a notice of intent to abate nuisance which shall be substantially in the following form:
| NOTICE OF INTENT TO ABATE NUISANCE |
|---|
| NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that an inspection made of the premises or property known and designated as __________ was made on the _____ day of , 2, and a determination made that the order to abate the nuisance at said premises or property by the Compton City Council on _________ had not been complied with. Abatement of said nuisance will be accomplished by either City forces or private contractor in accordance with the specifications attached hereto and costs of such abatement will constitute a lien upon said property until paid. |
| Notice is hereby given that said abatement will be undertaken 10 days after the date of this notice, and you are forthwith notified to remove from the area of your affected premises those articles you deem of value within said ten-day period of time. Articles removed from the premises in the accomplishment of said abatement will be held in storage for a period of 30 days at ____________________. Any claim for articles removed may be made within said thirty-day period. Articles not claimed and removed from storage location within said thirty-day period will be discarded or will be sold if determined to have value. |
| A statement of costs incurred in the abatement with charges to be assessed will be mailed to you. |
§ 24-3.4. Abatement by City; Costs; Hearing.¶
[Ord. #2174, § 1]
a. When the City Manager causes the abatement of a public nuisance pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter, he/she shall keep an accounting of the cost thereof, including incidental expenses of such abatement on each separate lot or parcel of land where work is done and shall render an itemized report in writing to the City Council showing the costs of abatement and the rehabilitation, correction, repair, demolition, removal or clearing of said premises, buildings and/or structures, including any salvage value relating thereto; provided, however, before such report is submitted to the City Council, a copy of the same, together with a notice of the time when said report shall be heard by the City Council shall be mailed to owners, and any other interested person who requests notice, by United States mail or personal delivery and posted on the property for at least five days prior to the City Council hearing for confirmation. The term "incidental expenses" shall include, but not be limited to the actual expenses and costs to the City in the preparation of reports and notices, specifications and contracts, inspection of the work and costs of printing and mailing required hereunder.
b. At the time and place for receiving and considering the statement of costs, the City Council shall hear and pass upon the statement together with any objections or protests raised by any of the persons liable to be assessed for the cost of abating the nuisance. Thereupon, the City Council may make any such revision, correction or modification to the statement as it may deem just, after which the statement as submitted, or as revised, corrected or modified, shall be confirmed by resolution. Such hearing may be continued from time to time. The decision of the City Council shall be final.
§ 24-3.5. Assessment of Costs; Lien.¶
[Ord. #2174, § 1]
The total cost for abating such nuisance, as so confirmed by the City Council, shall constitute a special assessment against the respective lot or parcel of land to which it related and upon recordation in the office of the County Recorder of a Notice of Lien, as so made and confirmed, shall constitute a lien on said property for the amount of such assessment.
a. After such confirmation and recordation, a copy of the lien shall be filed with the Assessor and Tax Collector of the County, in order that the County Assessor may add the amounts of the assessments to the next regular tax bill levied against the respective parcel and, thereafter, the amounts shall be collected at the same time and in the same manner as provided for ordinary municipal taxes, and shall be subject to the same procedure for foreclosure and sale in case of delinquency;
b. After such recordation, the lien may also be foreclosed by judicial or other sale in the manner and means provided by law.
c. Such Notice of Lien for recordation shall be in the form substantially as follows:
| NOTICE OF LIEN (Claim of City of Compton) |
|---|
| Pursuant to the authority vested by the provisions of this Chapter of the Compton Municipal Code, the City Manager of the City of Compton did on or before the _____ day _____, 2, cause the premises hereinafter described to be rehabilitated or the building and/ |
| The real property hereinabove mentioned, and upon which a lien is claimed, is that certain parcel of land located in the City of Compton, County of Los Angeles, State of California, known as ( street address ) and legally described as follows: |
| (Description) |
| Dated this _____ day of _____, 2 |
| City Manager of the City of Compton |
§ 24-3.6. Limitation of Filing Judicial Action.¶
[Ord. #2174, § 1]
An owner or other person who has an interest in the property aggrieved at any proceeding taken on appeal by the City Council in affirming, reversing or modifying in whole or in part either the order finding and ordering the abatement of a public nuisance or the order determining the cost of abatement must bring judicial action to contest such decision within 30 days after the date of service of such decision of the City Council. Otherwise, all objections to such decision shall be deemed waived.
§ 24-3.7. Emergency Abatement.¶
[Ord. #2174, § 1]
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Chapter with reference to the abatement of public nuisances, whenever the City Manager or his/her authorized designee(s) determine that a property or any building and/or structure thereon is dangerous and constitutes an immediate threat to the health, safety or welfare of persons or property, he/she shall, without observing the provisions of this Chapter with reference to abatement procedures, immediately and forthwith abate such public nuisance. Where such condition exists, and the abatement is immediately required, a record of and a hearing to confirm the expenses and costs of abatement shall be held in the same manner that other abatement costs are recovered pursuant to this Chapter.
§ 24-3.8. Alternative Remedies.¶
[Ord. #2174, § 1]
It is the intent of the City Council that the provisions and procedures set forth in this Chapter shall not expressly or by implication repeal or supersede any other provisions or procedures of the Compton Municipal Code or any other applicable law on the same or related subject matters. This Chapter shall supplement existing procedures and will provide an alternative, nonexclusive procedure for the abatement of a nuisance. Nothing in this Chapter shall preclude or prohibit the City from resorting to any appropriate legal remedy, whether civil or criminal, in the abatement of nuisance, including any nuisance designated in this Chapter; and when such legal remedy is utilized, the administrative hearing and appeal procedures provided in this Chapter to determine the existence of a nuisance shall not be applicable.
§ 24-3.9. Criminal Prosecution.¶
[Ord. #2174, § 1]
Any violation of the provisions of this Chapter is a misdemeanor, and the notice, hearing, appeal and other administrative procedures contained in this Chapter shall not be a condition precedent to any criminal prosecution.
§ 24-3.10. Violations.¶
[Ord. #2164 § 1]
a. No owner, lessee, occupant or other person having charge or control of any property shall fail to comply with any order of abatement served as provided by this Chapter.
b. No person shall remove any notice or order posted as required by this Chapter.
c. No owner, lessee, occupant or other person having charge or control of any property shall fail to vacate the property, building, structure or premises in accordance with an order of abatement provided in this Chapter.
d. No person shall obstruct, impede or interfere with any representative of the City or with any person who owns, leases or occupies property, when any of them are lawfully engaged in proceedings required under this Chapter.
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