Charlotte will inspect the Dilworth property on Tuesday after a home explosion.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Tuesday, the city of Charlotte will inspect the property where a home exploded in Dilworth earlier this month.
The homeowner, Michael Barnette, is in custody in Illinois facing charges of setting that home on fire. Now, some neighbors are wondering because he is behind bars, who is responsible for cleaning up this mess?
The May 2 explosion left a mess on Lombardy Circle that still hasn’t been cleared. With debris sitting on this lot, many are worried it will cause issues for the neighborhood.
With the homeowner behind bars for allegedly setting the home on fire, who is responsible for cleaning this up?
OUR SOURCES
The city’s PIO said the owner of the property is responsible for cleaning up.
“Code enforcement has issued a notice of violation regarding the conditions of the property under the health & sanitation ordinance. This provides a cure period of seven days for compliance,” a city of Charlotte spokesperson said.
The notice was issued on May 13. The home will be reinspected on Tuesday, May 20. If the required cleanup is not completed by Tuesday, the city will hire an independent contractor to clean it up.
When taking a look at the city’s health and sanitation ordinance, if the city does have to hire a contractor to clean up, the property owner will have to pay for the services. If not, the city may put a lien on the property.
WCNC Charlotte can verify that it is the owner’s responsibility to clean up, but the city will take over the clean-up process and charge the owner if they do not do it themselves.
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