Dearborn Cracking Down On Property Maintenance​: What To Know

DEARBORN, MI — Dearborn launched a city-wide initiative Monday to enforce property maintenance.

Spring Sweep Week, which runs from May 20 through May 31, is an annual effort led by Dearborn's Economic Development Department to address common property maintenance issues with residents and notify property owners of ordinance violations.

The program allows inspectors to help residents and businesses understand property ordinances, learn maintenance best practices, and to provide guidance on how to resolve violations, officials said.

"Sweep Week gives our team an added opportunity to remind businesses and residents of their responsibility to keep our residential neighborhoods and business districts vibrant, healthy, and safe," Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud said.

Inspectors will focus on tall grass and overgrowth, trash, property upkeep, unauthorized storage or items on lawns and curbs and business signage, officials said.

Inspectors will also be taking a look at the upkeep of alleyways and whether they’re filled with trash and litter, overgrowth of plants, officials said.

While the goal of Spring Sweep Week is to educate people about property ordinances and their importance, officials warned tickets will be given out for egregious violations.

Officials said many code enforcement violations contribute to other public health problems and nuisances. Overgrowth, for example, creates habitats for rodents, which may also attract predators.

"We look forward to being more present in the community during Sweep Week to identify property maintenance concerns addressed in our code of ordinances that are commonly brought to us as complaints from residents. Once identified, our team will look to resolve these issues through a combination of education, notices of violations, and in the most egregious cases, ticketing," Dearborn’s Code Enforcement Manager Renault Arseneau said.