The City of Wilmington DE has created a Vacant Property Registration Fee Program.

Program Overview
James M. Baker, Mayor

The City of Wilmington has embarked on an unprecedented effort to hold the owners of vacant properties accountable for the physical condition of their properties and to the overall well being of the communities and neighborhoods in which the vacant properties are located.

The City's new Vacant Property Registration Fee Program, outlined in this website, seeks to do something about an issue than no one can dispute...vacant properties are a detriment to people who live in proximity to the properties, to entire neighborhoods, and to the city's overall image as an attractive and inviting City in which to live, own property, work and be entertained.

The Mayor's Office, through the City's Department of Licenses and Inspections and Wilmington City Council has joined forces to revise the City's Vacant Property Registration Fee Program requiring that yearly registration fees ranging from $500 to as high as $5,000 be paid to the City by the owners of vacant properties.  The program is intended to encourage owners of vacant properties to immediately rehabilitate the property or to sell the property to an individual or an agency that will make the property attractive for sale or rental.  The new law is summarized for you in this website along with a section on what you can do to help in this effort.

We have contacted to owners of more than 1,000 vacant properties scattered throughout the City and advised them in writing of their responsibilities under the new law.  If owners of vacant properties ignore the law, the City can and will institute criminal proceedings that could result in fines.  The City could also bring civil action against the property owner to collect any unpaid registration fees.

In reality, the City would prefer that the owner of a vacant property use their money to fix up and rehabilitate a property rather than pay a registration fee to the City.  But it is vital that vacant property owners understand the importance to which the City has attached to reducing vacant properties and how determined the City will be in terms of moving to resolve the problem.

If the new registration fee law is ignored, the City is ready to take additional actions to remove an eyesore property from a neighborhood.  If the new law is followed, vacant properties will begin to disappear giving our neighborhoods a chance to continue to grow stronger.

To view the online report please click on the following link.

City of Wilmington DE Vacant Property Registration Fee Program