Joliet — Ch. 8 Art. VII Property Maintenance Code § 8-355
Purpose
Operative Text
(a) It is the purpose and intent of the Joliet City Council, through the adoption of this division, to establish an abandoned residential property registration program as a mechanism to protect residential neighborhoods from becoming blighted through the lack of adequate maintenance and security of abandoned properties. (b) Severability. Should any provision, section, paragraph, sentence or word of this division be determined or declared invalid by any final court action in a court of competent jurisdiction or by reason of any preemptive legislation, the remaining provisions, sections, paragraphs, sentences or words of this division shall remain in full force and effect.
Section 8-355 of Joliet's Property Maintenance Code establishes the legal foundation and intent behind the city's abandoned residential property registration program. The provision declares that the program exists to prevent neighborhood blight caused by poorly maintained or unsecured vacant properties. It also includes a severability clause, meaning that if any part of the division is struck down by a court, the rest of the rules remain in effect.
Plain English — not legal advice.
Under § 8-355, the Joliet City Council has formally signaled its commitment to holding owners of abandoned residential properties accountable for maintenance and security. Property owners and managers operating in Joliet should understand that this division creates a registration framework specifically targeting vacant and abandoned homes, and that the program's requirements carry the full weight of the city's intent to prevent blight. Because the severability clause in § 8-355(b) keeps the remaining provisions intact even if one part is invalidated, compliance obligations are unlikely to disappear due to a single legal challenge.
General guidance for property managers — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult an attorney for advice on your case.
Section 8-355 reflects the Joliet City Council's recognition that abandoned and poorly maintained properties can harm the residential neighborhoods where tenants live. This provision establishes the purpose behind the city's abandoned property registration program, which is designed to ensure that vacant homes near tenants are kept secure and maintained. Tenants who believe a neighboring or formerly occupied property is abandoned and creating unsafe or blighted conditions may wish to contact the City of Joliet's code enforcement office or consult a local tenant-rights organization to understand what remedies the broader division may provide.
General guidance for tenants — not legal advice for your specific situation. Consult a tenant-rights organization or attorney for advice on your case.
Generated November 9, 2026 — auto-generated, not yet human-reviewed. See /transparency for methodology.
Effective Timeline
References Out
No outbound references recorded yet for this provision.
References In
Rules and statutes that cite this regulation