Fee Removal Guidelines

On July 20, 2004, the Greene County Board of Commissioners passed the resolutions on Sanitation Service Tax Assessment. It states that an annual fee for the provisions of sanitation services shall be assessed per-parcel of real, residentially-improved, property within Greene County.

In May of 2011 the Board of Commissioners, in an effort to provide for the Exemptions of the Curbside Service Fee on Unlivable and/or Dilapidated Dwellings, voted to establish a standing policy superseding any County provisions to the contrary that homes classified as dilapidated and/or unlivable shall be exempt from future assessment (not retroactive exemption) of the annual curbside service fee. This exemption is valid provided that such dwelling has been made safe through perimeter fencing, boarding-up of entry points, or other similar steps such that the general public is reasonably protected from danger. In addition, dwellings must have no power run to the structure and no plumbing fixtures within the structure.

Choices

As a property owner/s or legal guardian/s with a dwelling unit on your property you have some choices in resolving this matter. If you bring your property into compliance any time after January 1st of a given year then the fee is still due for that year.

Your choices are:

  1. Continue to pay the tax.
  2. Obtain a demolition permit and remove the dwelling from your property. This must be done in a manner that all debris is removed from the property. State Law now mandates that all building materials, even wood that has been used in the construction of a structure, shall not be burned or buried.
  3. Obtain a moving permit from the Building and Zoning Department and move the dwelling/structure to another approved location in or out of the county.
  4. Make the dwelling safe through:
  5. Have the County condemn the dwelling/property, at which time you will have (6) six months to remove the structure following the process explained in Item 2 above.  At the end of 6 (six) months and you have removed the dwelling, then your tax fees for this unit will be dropped for the following year. 
    • Attention: If the county condemns the dwelling/property and you the property owner(s) do not remove it in the allocated time, then the Greene County Government will file an injunction to begin the process of having it removed. After the removable by the county, then a lien will be placed on your property to collect the removal fees. If the lien is not payed, in the allocated time, then the property is taken by the county for resale to collect the fees due.

Continued Compliance

It is the Property Owner/s responsibility to maintain the dwelling in a safe state of compliance. At any time after a dwelling has been brought into compliance and the curbside tax dropped, a structure is found altered in any way, then the owner will be contacted and given a period of time, not to exceed 30 days to make the necessary corrections. At the end of thirty 30 days the property will be inspected. If the corrections have not been made to bring the dwelling back into compliance then the curbside fee will be reassigned to the property.

Non-compliant alterations include:

  • Bath or kitchen fixtures replaced by the owner, tenant, leaser, or by vandalism
  • Boarding having been removed from any window or door
  • Electricity has been ran to the dwelling
  • Perimeter fence has been breached or taken down

Contact Us

We have presented five options for you to consider relative to the removal of the curbside fees. Please review these options, take the appropriate steps to bringing the dwelling into compliance, and contact our office for details on inspections. If you have any questions, please contact our office at 706-453-3333.

All fees are collected in advance of inspections. Paying of the fees does not constitute the removal of the tax. The dwelling / property shall meet the established standards to be in compliance. Once you receive this option package and choose to bring a structure into compliance; you are required to obtain the proper permits.