Vacant property registration is required by City ordinance; see 56-582. All vacant or foreclosed housing units within the city limits of Kansas City, Missouri which are not occupied by the owner must be registered with the City between December 1 and January 31 of each year (see definition below). There is no cost to register property within that time frame, but it must be registered or renewed each year. Newly vacant property must be registered within 90 days of the change in status; foreclosed property must be registered within 14 days. Vacant property which changes owners or becomes rented must be updated within 30 days.

You must register online. Contact Candace Collier at (816)513-9027. if you have questions, or need assistance with registration. If you are not sure if you are registered or not, you may search the online database.

Penalties for Failure to Register

Failing to register before February 1 (or within the grace period allowed for changes of ownership/status) will result in a $50 late penalty. If any of your vacant property is discovered by City officials to be unregistered, you can also receive an administrative citation for failure to register under 56-582; this penalty can cost $100 or more per property.

Registration Renewal

Registration renewal may be done anytime during the months of December and January; there is no registration fee if renewal is completed in a timely manner. Renewal is a simple process if no information has changed; login with the username/password issued originally, check the box near the bottom of the screen that says “I have verified that all of the above information is correct.”  and hit Submit. You will also need to do this inside each property record.

If contact information or other parts of the registration have changed:

1. Login with your username/password from the initial registration.
2. If owner information has changed, click the Edit This Profile link near the top of the page (see above).
3. Update the necessary fields, then check the red “I have verified that all of the above information is correct.” box and click Submit for that page.

4. If you need to add or remove properties, or change them from rental to vacant, click the corresponding link near the bottom of the page (see above). Remember to check the verification box and click Submit for each property that is updated.

Definition

A vacant dwelling is any property that lacks habitual presence of human beings who have a legal right to be on the property, or where any substantial lawful residential occupancy or business operations has ceased.

In determining whether a property is vacant, evidence or factors may be considered, such as:

• The proportion of vacant to occupied space;
• The condition and value of any items in the property;
• The presence of rental or for sale signs on the property.

Multi-family residential property containing five (5) or more dwelling units shall be considered vacant when the majority of all of the dwelling units become and remain unoccupied.

A property shall not be considered vacant which is being currently marketed by a licensed real estate professional and to which water service has not been shut off.