• Definitions
  • Data Sources
  • Vacant Buildings
  • Vacant Lots
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Definitions for vacant buildings and lots were developed to reflect unoccupied properties that have been abandoned and represent a burden to the City and its residents. The following definitions were created through conversations with several City departments and vacancy stakeholders and are determined by data availability. 
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Vacant Buildings are defined as any building with consistent signs of abandonment, including structural condemnation, board-up services, tax delinquency and lack of general maintenance, etc. A possible vacant building has some signs of abandonment but the data are contradictory or missing needed information. 
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Vacant Lots are defined (conservatively) as any parcel that does not contain a building, and that is not used for an explicit purpose (e.g. parking lot, cemetery, public green space, etc.) and where there is evidence to suggest the property is not being provided with regular property maintenance. A possible vacant lot is a parcel that may be a vacant lot but additional information is needed. 
Data are collected from 12 different datasets from four departments: the Building Division, the Assessor's Office, the Department of Forestry, and the Land Reutilization Authority (LRA). They are combined into one comprehensive dataset, after which a number of queries are run that attempt to correct errors and inconsistencies, and run additional analyses. The portal currently reflects parcel information through June 2018. The full site, upon completion, will be automatically updated as property information changes. 
Vacant Buildings
  • The property is owned by LRA and contains a building; or
  • The building division marked the building as vacant in the 2017 annual vacant building survey or since; or
  • The forestry department has marked the building as vacant, and the building is structurally condemned, and the property is 5 or more years tax delinquent and/or has been boarded up at least once*;
    • AND no demolition or occupancy permits have been issued*. (Parcels that meet the above criteria and have demolition permits approved are classified as vacant lots. Those with occupancy permits are removed from the dataset.) 

Possible Vacant Buildings
  • The forestry department has marked the building as vacant, and it is 5 or more years tax delinquent; or
  • The building has been boarded-up by the forestry department at least once*; or
  • A vacant building registration fee or vacant building penalty fee has been applied to the parcel*;
    • AND no other conditions are met; and
    • AND no demolition or occupancy permits have been issued*. ​

* since January 1, 2016
Vacant Lots
  • ​The parcel is owned by LRA, and does not contain a building; or
  • The parcel is owned by LRA, and is said to contain a building, but a demolition permit has been issued*; or
  • The parcel was marked as a vacant building by the Building Division, but a demolition permit has been issued for the property* with no subsequent building permits issued; or
  • The parcel is marked as a vacant lot by the assessor's office, and forestry has provided at least one maintenance service*; or
  • The parcel is marked as a vacant lot by the assessor's office, and the property is 3 or more years tax delinquent;
  • The parcel is categorized as trade, contains no buildings, and forestry has provided more than one maintenance service*; or
    • AND no building permits have been issued*.

Possible Vacant Lots
  • The parcel is marked as a vacant lot by the Assessor's office, and no maintenance services have been provided by Forestry*; or
  • The parcel is marked as a vacant lot by the assessor's office, and is owned by a church or other religious institution.
    • AND no building permits have been issued*.

​NOTE: Parcels coded as vacant lots that are part of parks, greenways,​ highway rights-of-way, or land use projects were removed from the vacancy dataset. ​
* since January 1, 2016