Assembly Bill No. 571–Committee on Government Affairs

 

CHAPTER..........

 

AN ACT relating to counties; authorizing a board of county commissioners to provide by ordinance for the covering or removal of certain graffiti on certain types of property; and providing other matters properly relating thereto.

 

THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEVADA, REPRESENTED IN

SENATE AND ASSEMBLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

   Section 1. Chapter 244 of NRS is hereby amended by adding thereto

 the provisions set forth as sections 2 to 5, inclusive, of this act.

   Sec. 2.  “Graffiti” means any unauthorized inscription, word, figure

 or design that is marked, etched, scratched, drawn or painted on the

 public or private property, real or personal, of another, which defaces

 such property.

   Sec. 3.  “Residential property” means a parcel of land, including all

 structures thereon, that is zoned for single-family residential use.

   Sec. 4.  1.  The board of county commissioners may adopt by

 ordinance procedures pursuant to which officers, employees or other

 designees of the county may cover or remove graffiti that is:

   (a) Placed on the exterior of a fence or wall located on the perimeter

 of residential property; and

   (b) Visible from a public right of way.

   2.  An ordinance adopted pursuant to subsection 1 must provide that:

   (a) Officers, employees or other designees of the county shall not

 cover or remove the graffiti unless:

     (1) The owner of the residential property consents to the covering

 or removal of the graffiti; or

     (2) If the board of county commissioners or its designee is unable to

 contact the owner of the residential property to obtain his consent, the

 board first provides the owner of the property with written notice that is:

        (I) Sent by certified mail, return receipt requested; and

        (II) Posted on the residential property on which the graffiti will

 be covered or from which the graffiti will be removed,

at least 5 days before the officers, employees or other designees of the

 county cover or remove the graffiti.

   (b) The county shall pay the cost of covering or removing the graffiti

.  Sec. 5.  1.  The board of county commissioners of a county may

 adopt by ordinance procedures pursuant to which the board or its

 designee may order an owner of nonresidential property within the

 county to cover or remove graffiti that is:

   (a) Placed on that nonresidential property; and

   (b) Visible from a public right of way,

to protect the public health, safety and welfare of the residents of the

 county and to prevent blight upon the community.

   2.  An ordinance adopted pursuant to subsection 1 must:

   (a) Contain procedures pursuant to which the owner of the property

 is:

     (1) Sent notice, by certified mail, return receipt requested, of the

 existence on his property of graffiti and the date by which he must cover

 or remove the graffiti; and


     (2) Afforded an opportunity for a hearing and an appeal before the

board or its designee.

   (b) Provide that the date specified in the notice by which the owner

 must cover or remove the graffiti is tolled for the period during which

 the owner requests a hearing and receives a decision.

   (c) Provide the manner in which the county will recover money

 expended for labor and materials used to cover or remove the graffiti if

 the owner fails to cover or remove the graffiti.

   3.  The board or its designee may direct the county to cover or remove

 the graffiti and may recover the amount expended by the county for

 labor and materials used to cover or remove the graffiti if:

   (a) The owner has not requested a hearing within the time prescribed

 in the ordinance adopted pursuant to subsection 1 and has failed to

 cover or remove the graffiti within the period specified in the notice;

   (b) After a hearing in which the owner did not prevail, the owner has

 not filed an appeal within the time prescribed in the ordinance adopted

 pursuant to subsection 1 and has failed to cover or remove the graffiti

 within the period specified in the order; or

   (c) The board has denied the appeal of the owner and the owner has

 failed to cover or remove the graffiti within the period specified in the

 order.

   4.  In addition to any other reasonable means of recovering money

 expended by the county to cover or remove the graffiti, the board may:

   (a) Provide that the cost of covering or removing the graffiti is a lien

 upon the nonresidential property on which the graffiti was covered or

 from which the graffiti was removed; or

   (b) Make the cost of covering or removing the graffiti a special

 assessment against the nonresidential property on which the graffiti was

 covered or from which the graffiti was removed.

   5.  A lien authorized pursuant to paragraph (a) of subsection 4 must

 be perfected by:

   (a) Mailing by certified mail a notice of the lien, separately prepared

 for each lot affected, addressed to the last known owner of the property

 at his last known address, as determined by the real property assessment

 roll in the county in which the nonresidential property is located; and

   (b) Filing with the county recorder of the county in which the

 nonresidential property is located, a statement of the amount due and

 unpaid and describing the property subject to the lien.

   6.  A special assessment authorized pursuant to paragraph (b) of

 subsection 4 may be collected at the same time and in the same manner

 as ordinary county taxes are collected, and is subject to the same

 penalties and the same procedure and sale in case of delinquency as

 provided for ordinary county taxes. All laws applicable to the levy,

 collection and enforcement of county taxes are applicable to such a

 special assessment.

   7.  As used in this section, “nonresidential property” means all real

 property other than residential property. The term does not include real

 property owned by a governmental entity.

 

 


   Sec. 6.  NRS 244.3691 is hereby amended to read as follows:

   244.3691  As used in this section andNRS 244.3693 and 244.3695,

 [“graffiti” means any unauthorized inscription, word, figure or design that

 is marked, etched, scratched, drawn or painted on the public or private

 property, real or personal, of another, which defaces such property.] and

 sections 2 to 5, inclusive, of this act, unless the context otherwise

 requires, the words and terms defined in sections 2 and 3 of this act have

 the meanings ascribed to them in those sections.

   Sec. 7.  This act becomes effective upon passage and approval.

 

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