With advocacy support from C.O.I.N., the City of Knoxville added another tool to its historic preservation toolkit in December 2003 with the passage by City Council of a “Demolition by Neglect” ordinance.

This ordinance is aimed at preserving “from neglect and deterioration the exterior features or structural elements” of buildings in historic neighborhoods. It addresses situations where a property owner neglects to maintain a structure, allowing it to gradually deteriorate until it is no longer feasible to save it from demolition. The ordinance allows the City to require owners of property where
demolition by neglect is occurring to make necessary repairs. 

Since blighted, structurally unsound properties can harm adjacent property owners and entire neighborhoods, this ordinance is particularly important for redevelopment efforts in Knoxville’s low to moderate income historic neighborhoods.