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Original Date: 04/22/1996
Revision Date: 01/18/2007
Information : Better Housing Commission
The Better Housing Commission (BHC) of Chattanooga, Tennessee is comprised of 13 citizens appointed by the mayor. The BHC meets monthly to determine whether to rehabilitate or demolish buildings in violation of the City's Minimum Housing Code. This Commission also works closely with the Police Department and Environmental Court in issuance of citations, condemnations, warnings, and violation letters to property owners.
Besides the 10 code enforcement inspectors, four of whom are certified through the Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc., the BHC staff consists of support staff and management. The inspectors are responsible for enforcement of the Minimum Housing, Anti-Litter and Overgrowth, and the Abandoned and Inoperable Vehicle Codes. In 1995, this staff addressed 6,484 complaints, 80% of which were complaints submitted by citizens, the remainder by administrators and inspectors. The BHC was able to recover $37K of the City's costs to remove or demolish vehicles and structures.
The housing code was rewritten through an innovative benchmarking process, with findings from other cities and input from the seven code inspectors incorporated into a 32-page code passed by the City Council in late 1992. This better housing effort benefits the City by removing unsightly or dangerous structures, vehicles, and debris.
For more information see the
Point of Contact for this survey.
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