While Galena is a beautiful and well-kept community, even one noticeably blighted property can affect attitudes and property values in a neighborhood. A substandard structure is any building that does not meet the standards or specifications established in the property maintenance, building, plumbing, electrical and mechanical codes and could endanger the life, health and safety of the public.
One of the primary objectives of the City of Galena Building Department is to bring substandard property into compliance with State and City codes and to preserve the high quality of life in the City of Galena. Inspections of violations are performed utilizing a variety of enforcement tools to achieve voluntary compliance. These tools consist of verbal and written warnings, letter notifications, office conferences, and administrative citations.
Dealing with building complaints is a difficult and sometimes slow process. In extreme cases, the City Attorney may take the owner to court with the goal of compliance. This is a cumbersome and expensive process and is a last resort when all voluntary options have failed.
Financial incentives may be available to assist property owners with maintaining, improving, or otherwise bringing property into compliance with codes. The Landmarks Illinois preservation organization maintains the following comprehensive and detailed inventory of preservation-related incentives for property owners.
Landmarks Illinois Resources for Property Owners
To report a substandard property, please contact Galena Building Inspector, Jonathan Miller, at jmiller@cityofgalena.org or 815-777-1050.
Please refer to the following links for more information about City of Galena building codes and inspections.
Building Codes and Inspections
