§ 2. Declaration of Policy.

A principal goal of the City of Atlanta is to create and preserve a safe, healthy, attractive and economically sound urban environment which will retain its current residents and attract other people. Residential communities that contain the homes of city dwellers and thus serve as the center of their activities, constitute a major and important portion of such an environment. As a result, the City recognizes that the continued development of its total environment is closely related to the creation, development, and preservation of safe, healthy, pleasant and economically sound residential communities. In support of such goals, the City is committed to policies and objectives which serve to develop, preserve and maintain: decent, safe and sanitary housing; property values and environmental conditions.

It is recognized that within the City, there currently exist dwellings and other buildings which are: unfit for human habitation or other uses; substandard, deteriorating, and/or in danger of causing or contributing to the general decline or deterioration in appearance or property value of the surrounding neighborhood; or adverse to the health, safety and general welfare of the occupants and general public thereof.

It is also recognized that there are buildings and other structures and parts of compartmentalized buildings and structures in the City, of all zoning classifications, which are vacant. By reason of their continued vacancy, these buildings and other structures are subjected to unauthorized entry which creates a condition whereby such buildings and other structures are subject to vandalism. It is further recognized that when such buildings and other structures are subject to an unauthorized entry, they become a breeding ground for criminal activity, such as, but not limited to, intemperate use of alcoholic beverages and use of drugs, thus leading to incidences of destruction of such buildings and other structures by fire and also creating health and sanitation hazards. Additionally, it is found that other criminal activity, such as, but not limited to murder and rape, are likewise carried on in such buildings and other structures. Such unauthorized entry allows various classes of criminal conduct to be carried on in such clandestine surroundings.

It is acknowledged that such conditions involving residential property within the City not only threaten or endanger the health, safety or general welfare of the occupants thereof, and of the general public; but also contribute to the decline of community spirit and the physical appearance and property values of the neighborhood. Accordingly, the policy of this Code is to establish minimum standards for the maintenance of decent housing; to provide effective means for enforcement of such standards; and to encourage the rehabilitation and reuse of existing structurally sound buildings, while preserving, protecting and promoting the health, safety and welfare of occupants. It is further the policy of this Code to establish standards and procedures for the prevention and immediate correction of unsafe or unhealthy conditions for the protection of the neighborhood residents and of the general public.

Consistent with the Code's policy and intent to balance the necessity of protecting the public health, safety and general welfare against the undesirability of imposing particular requirements upon owner-occupants who choose to expose themselves to certain substandard conditions, the Code's basic health and safety requirements as set forth in Section 19 and 27. Code Sections 19 through 26 shall be mandatory for all other structures designed or intended for residential purposes whether occupied or vacant.