Vacant, Abandoned, and Foreclosed Properties

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In order to comply with the Foreclosure and Vacant Property Registration Ordinance, Ordinance No. 053-2020, the City of Rock Island has implemented an in-house program for Owners/Mortgages/Trustees to register their vacant, abandoned, and/or foreclosed properties. 

To register online, click here. Registrations can also be mailed in with payment. Printable registration. 

Vacant: any building or structure, that is not lawfully occupied or inhabited

Abandoned: any building or part of a building which has deteriorated to be-come a dangerous building, unsecured and open to trespass

Foreclosed: Mortgagee/Lien Holder terminates or attempts to terminate property owners right to obtain property title due to a debt or lien

Registration fee for each property is $300 every 6 months

Registration does NOT exonerate the owner from compliance with all applicable codes and ordinances, and does not preclude any of the actions that the City is authorized to take pursuant to this or any other code or statute.

Failure to properly register or modify the registration to reflect a change of circumstances is a violation of the City Ordinance and is subject to enforcement by any of the enforcement means available to the City.

For more information regarding vacant properties, click here, or contact the Inspection Division at 309-732-2910 or inspecion@rigov.org. 

Appeal Of Vacant Building Determination:

An owner of a building determined by the Building Official to be a vacant building may appeal that determination to the Inspection Commission.

The appeal shall be in writing and shall be filed with the Inspections Division within thirty (30) days of the date of mailing of the notice of determination. 

The appeal must contain:

- A complete statement of the reasons the owner disputes the code official's determination and shall set forth specific facts support thereof; and
- All evidence the owner relies upon to support the appeal.


The burden is upon the owner to present sufficient evidence to persuade the Inspection Commission that it is more likely than not that the building is not a vacant building.
The Inspection Commission shall decide the appeal on the facts presented by the owner in the appeal and the code official's written determination. The Inspection Commission may, but is not required to, seek additional information from the owner.
The Inspection Commission shall send written notice of decision to the owner within ten (10) days of receipt of the appeal.

The Inspection Commission may, upon written notice thereof to the owner, take ten (10) additional days to decide the appeal if additional time is required for consideration.
If the Inspection Commission fails to grant or deny an appeal within the time periods set forth in this section, the appeal shall be deemed denied.
A determination by the Inspection Commission shall be considered to be a final administrative determination. (Ord. 053-2020, 10-12-2020)