The legal basis: Section 150.051
Akron’s demolition orders come from Section 150.051 of the Environmental Health Housing Code, Ordinance 113-1972, in Chapter 150 of the city code. The section gives the Housing Appeals Board the power to hear Housing Compliance Division recommendations to demolish residential buildings.
The board’s orders use the same core language when it rules against a house: it finds the structure “DILAPIDATED, DECAYED, UNSAFE AND UNSANITARY,” declares it a public nuisance, and orders utilities disconnected, the structure kept secure, and the structure razed.
From code file to demolition hearing
A demolition case never starts at the board. The steps, as the city and Signal Akron describe them:
- Complaint or observation. A 311 call, a referral or an inspector’s own visit.
- Inspection and order to repair. Housing Compliance issues orders with a compliance date.
- No progress. The owner doesn’t fix the problems, and may be fined.
- Referral to the board. Sanitarian Supervisor Jodie Forester told Signal Akron, “Nothing goes before the Housing Appeals Board unless we already have an active housing code violation file.” Buildings more than 60% deteriorated, with structural damage, roof holes or fire damage, are the common referrals.
- Hearing. Staff present the case, the owner and neighbors testify under oath, and the board votes.
How the earlier stages work is covered in our guide to Akron housing code enforcement.
What the board can decide
The board has a range of outcomes, not just demolition:
| Outcome | What it means for the owner |
|---|---|
| Demolition ordered | Structure to be razed, cost assessed to the property |
| Extension with conditions | Usually 30 to 90 days to repair, per Signal Akron, often with conditions to secure the house, remove refuse or pull permits |
| Deadline to sell | Time to transfer the house to someone who will repair it |
| Continuance | Case moved to a later meeting |
| Appeal denied or dismissed | The original order stands |
Owners who show a written repair plan, a schedule and the money to do the work are the ones who get extensions. Signal Akron reports the board encourages owners to bring exactly that.
Real outcomes from one meeting
The February 27, 2025 meeting, reported by Signal Akron, shows how varied the results are. The board reviewed eight properties:
- Four houses recommended for demolition: 256 Lloyd St. in Summit Lake, 438 McGowan St. and 446 Downing Place in Middlebury, and 59 Vesper St. in North Hill. All were vacant, and all four owners had died. The votes were unanimous.
- An extension to repair: 1110 Santee Ave. in East Akron got until April 24, including a planned roof replacement.
- A deadline to sell: 1164 Derbydale Road in Ellet. The owner couldn’t finish repairs and was given until March 27 to sell.
- An appeal denied: 328 Theodore St. in Summit Lake, where the owner had to vacate and file a structural engineer’s report.
Across four meetings in 2024, Signal Akron counted more than 30 houses slated for demolition.
A request to sell is not always enough
Asking for time to sell works only when the owner has already shown real effort. At the June 26, 2025 meeting, Signal Akron’s documenter recorded seven cases: the board recommended five properties for demolition and gave extensions to two. Owners who had taken visible steps to bring a property up to code got extensions; those with little or no action were recommended for demolition.
The clearest example was 1431 S. Main St., where a large part of the brick facade fell onto the street in February 2025 and about 60 tenants were displaced. The owner asked for an extension to sell. The board decided too little had been done and that the building was a hazard to the neighborhood.
What helps at a hearing:
- A signed purchase agreement or listing, not just a plan to sell.
- Contractor estimates and a schedule for the worst items.
- Proof the house is secured, with photos.
- Showing up, or sending an attorney, rather than writing in.
Appeal, cost and ownership after demolition
If the board orders demolition, Signal Akron reports the owner has 30 days to appeal. An attorney should handle it, because the deadline is short and the record from the hearing matters.
After demolition:
- The lot stays in the owner’s name. The city acts only to remove the nuisance, not to take the land.
- The owner owes the cost. Board orders assess the demolition cost to the property unless a demolition waiver is processed. Before selling the lot, ask the title company to check whether the cost has been certified to the tax bill, so it can be paid at closing.
- Securing costs count too. If an owner doesn’t board up a vacant house, the city sends contractors, and that work is still the owner’s responsibility.
Forester told Signal Akron the city can spend more monitoring and re-securing a derelict house than demolishing it, which is why vacant, abandoned cases move faster.
When an heir inherits a house on the list
Many demolition cases involve owners who have died, like all four houses ordered down in February 2025. Heirs often learn about the case only when a notice reaches the estate. If that is you:
- Contact the Housing Compliance Division at 330-375-2366, ask for the case number, and tell them you are the heir or executor.
- Attend the next board hearing, or ask for a continuance in writing, and bring a plan: repair, sell, or let the city proceed.
- Open probate if it isn’t open, since someone with legal authority has to act for the estate. Our page on selling a house in probate covers that step.
Selling to a buyer who will repair is one of the outcomes the board has accepted. Our page on selling a condemned house in Ohio covers that choice, and selling a house with code violations covers earlier-stage cases. If an Akron house of yours has a hearing date, you can tell us the address and the date.
