Vacant Building Registry

• Is the vacant building registry a secret?
No, all vacant properties listed in the registry are subject to public record requests.

• How does the City of Holyoke determine if a building is vacant?
Most cases, vacant buildings are found by neighborhood complaints or by visual code
compliance issues. The Board of Health will often verify through utility companies that the
building is vacant as defined in city ordinance:
Vacant building shall mean any commercial or industrial building in which no person or
entity actually conducts a lawfully licensed business in such building; or any residential
building in which no person lawfully resides in any part of the building; or a mixed use
building in which neither a licensed business nor a lawful resident exists. Further, any
building lacking active water, heat or electrical utility service or in which more than
one half of the total exterior windows and doors are broken, boarded or open without a
functioning lock shall be deemed “vacant.”
The property is then added to the Vacant Building Registry.

• If I leave my property for an extended period of time is my property considered
vacant?
The vacant building ordinance defines vacancy as a property lacking utilities, broken boarded
windows, or a failure on behalf of the property owner to properly secure property from illegal
entry. The ordinance also states that no property owner shall allow, create, maintain or cause
blighted premises. To leave a residence for an extended period time without an effective plan
to maintain that property in compliance with state law or local ordinance, the property owner
on the registry will be given the option of appealing the status of vacancy at the property.

• I bought my house this year and received a notice, what do I do?
Residential (Not including 4+ Units) may notify the Board of Health of their circumstance
and provide proof of occupancy through utility bills. If the property owner needs assistance,
the Board of Health will reach out to the utility companies on their behalf. The Health
Department will verify that the dwelling has been removed from the Vacant Building
Registry.

• I am a new owner and I provided proof of occupancy, do I still have to pay the fee?
All properties with new owners, that have proven occupancy and verified by the Board of
Health, will not have to pay the annual fee. The Board of Health will verify that their
property has been removed from the Vacant Building Registry through correspondence
electronic or US mail that the property is deemed occupied.
o Minimal or low usage of utilities may require a scheduled and appeal hearing to
determine vacancy.

• Where do the fees go and how are they used?
All fees collected under the City of Holyoke ordinance sec 18-35 are collected in the Vacant
Building Revolving Fund. This fund is used to bring blighted properties that are under the
control of nonresponsive or absentee property owners into compliance.
• Common use of the fund is to the board and secure vacant property from illegal entry,
remove graffiti, illegal dumping, and overgrown vegetation.
• In some cases, the fund can be used to offset the cost of demolition.

• Why is this fund important?
The collection of fees from the Vacant Building Registry is important because the fund is
used in lieu of external funding sources or the City’s general fund. This leaves funds
available for vital community services that benefit the residents of Holyoke. Without this
self-sustaining fund, each year, the mayor and city council would need to appropriate funds
to alleviate code compliance issues of neglected vacant nuisance properties. Without the fund
or registry, vacant buildings would add an additional financial burden to all taxpayers.

• How does the Vacant Building Registry combat blight?
Buildings that stay vacant for long periods of time, without maintenance, begin to become
dilapidated. Failure on the part of the city to enforce code compliance on these properties
will create a negative outcome. The building begins to bring down property values, attracts
illegal activity, becomes a safety hazard to the community, becomes irreparable and finally
must be demolished. If funds are not available for demolishing the property, the property
stays vacant, consistently drawing our limited resources: Health, Police, Fire, Building,
Economic Development, and Community Development.

• Should the Vacant Building Registry include single family residential homes?
All residential buildings that fall under the MA State Sanitary code are subject to legal remedies.
In the event that a property owner is unable or unwilling to comply with state laws pertaining to Minimum Standards of 

Human Habitation, the city will motion for the court to seek legal intervention. Registering property, particularly noncommercial residential
homes, before they become dilapidated is vital to the proactive role that we can take to
decrease blight in the City of Holyoke.

*Examples that showcase the importance of monitoring Vacancy*