Is there a faster tax-deed path for vacant and abandoned property in Nebraska?
Yes, but only for a land bank. When a land bank holds the tax sale certificate on vacant and abandoned real estate, it can apply for a tax deed within nine months after two years from the tax sale. For any other property, the holder applies within nine months after three years have passed since the sale.
To count as vacant and abandoned, the property has to substantially meet more than two signs on a list, such as no owner or tenant living there, utilities shut off or unpaid for over a year, or a building declared unfit for habitation by local housing officials. Other signs are a building left open to weather and vandals, or with windows and doors boarded, smashed or left without being locked. So do stripped copper or fixtures, no recent effort to restore the property, and vermin, uncut weeds or piled-up debris.
If the property is registered as vacant and abandoned under a city's vacant property registration ordinance, that registration is conclusive proof. The land bank files an affidavit with the county treasurer stating that the property is vacant and abandoned.
The same two-year timeline applies when a land bank goes to court to foreclose the tax lien on a vacant and abandoned property.
How long does a Nebraska owner have to redeem a property sold for taxes?
Until the tax sale buyer files for a tax deed. The owner, an occupant, or anyone with a lien or interest can redeem up to that point, and the right ends when the buyer's application reaches the county treasurer. The buyer can file within nine months after three years from the sale, or after two years when a land bank holds the certificate on vacant and abandoned property.
Real estate whose taxes are still unpaid on the first Monday of March after they become delinquent can be sold for taxes from that date on.
Redeeming means paying the county treasurer the amount on the buyer's certificate with interest at the rate set by state law, plus any later taxes the buyer paid, with interest.
The treasurer's tax deed is available only when 110 percent of the assessed value, minus what it would take to redeem, comes to $25,000 or less. Above that, the buyer has to foreclose the tax lien instead. That foreclosure is filed in the district court where the land sits and runs like the foreclosure of a mortgage.
Behind on a mortgage for a Nebraska property no one lives in? See how foreclosure unfolds in Nebraska.
Can a Nebraska city set up a land bank for abandoned properties?
Yes. A single city or village can create a land bank by ordinance. A land bank's main goal is to get vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties back into productive use.
The Legislature has found that many Nebraska cities and villages are struggling to cope with vacant, abandoned and tax-delinquent properties.
Two or more municipalities can also form one land bank together under an interlocal agreement.
How can a Nebraska city make an owner fix or tear down an unsafe building?
If an owner ignores a city's notice to repair, rehabilitate or demolish an unsafe building that is a public nuisance, the city can do the work itself. The city can then charge the cost as a special assessment, which is a lien on the property.
Or it can collect the cost from the owner through a lawsuit.
Every city and village can pass ordinances that define, prevent and abate nuisances, and remove them. That power reaches into the city's extraterritorial zoning area, not just its limits.
When a city decides a property is unsafe or unfit to live in because of housing or building code violations, it must post the property and record that decision with the county register of deeds.
How do you report a neglected property in North Platte, Nebraska?
The city takes code violation reports online or by phone at (308) 535-6724, extension 3218 or 3249. North Platte's code compliance officers investigate each complaint by visiting the property and the properties around it.
An owner found in violation gets ten days to fix it, then a personally served second notice with five more days. After that the case goes to the city attorney and on to court, where the owner may be fined, the city may seek an injunction to abate the nuisance, or the case may be dismissed.
Typical nuisances there include weeds, overgrown bushes and trees, obstructions, unkept properties and junk vehicles, all handled by two code compliance officers. Those two officers watch over roughly 11,800 homes and businesses across the city.
You can also tell me where it is. I'll find out who owns it and reach out about buying it and fixing it up.