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HB 4038

City of Greenwood; authorize to establish a Vacant and Abandoned Structure Registration Program.

2026 Regular Session Introduced by Timaka James-Jones and 1 co-sponsor

Greenwood could establish a Vacant and Abandoned Structures Registration Program to register, maintain, insure, and rehabilitate neglected properties to curb blight.

Died In Committee
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Bill Summary · HB 4038

Summary of HB 4038 (2026) — Mississippi

Title

City of Greenwood; authorize to establish a Vacant and Abandoned Structure Registration Program.

Purpose and intent

  • Authorizes the City of Greenwood to establish a Vacant and Abandoned Structures Registration Program (VASRP).
  • Aims to address blight, property decay, crime, declining property values, safety hazards for residents and first responders, and obstacles to economic development and neighborhood revitalization.
  • The program is intended to promote public health, safety, and welfare within Greenwood.

Key provisions and changes

  • The City of Greenwood’s governing authorities, by ordinance (and placed on the city’s minutes), may create and operate the VASRP at their discretion.
  • Eligible properties: vacant and abandoned residential and nonresidential structures that contribute to blight and related harms.
  • Program goals and activities include:
    • Identification and registration of vacant/abandoned structures.
    • Ensuring ongoing maintenance to comply with applicable codes.
    • Protection of first responders by providing building plans (presumably to facilitate access and safety).
    • Requiring proof of insurance for registered structures.
    • Establishing registration fees and penalties for noncompliance.
    • Encouraging timely rehabilitation or redevelopment to reduce blight and support community reinvestment.

What would be affected

  • Property owners and managers of vacant or abandoned structures in Greenwood (both residential and nonresidential).
  • The City of Greenwood’s administrative and code enforcement framework (as it would implement and administer the program).
  • Potentially real estate developers or investors engaged with vacant properties, who may be subject to registration and maintenance requirements, penalties, and deadlines.

Procedural and timeline aspects

  • The act authorizes, not mandates, the creation of the program: the city must pass an ordinance to establish the VASRP.
  • The bill does not specify ongoing funding, detailed registration standards, or exact enforcement mechanisms beyond the general authority to set fees and penalties.
  • Effective date: “shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage,” meaning it would become effective upon enactment, pending standard constitutional processes.
  • Status: As of the latest available action, the bill was referred to the Local and Private Legislation committee, then suspended from deadlines and died in committee (meaning it did not advance to passage during the 2026 session).

Practical considerations

  • If Greenwood adopts the program, property owners with vacant/abandoned structures would face registration requirements, potential fees, maintenance duties, insurance proof, and penalties for noncompliance.
  • The program’s success would hinge on the ordinance specifics (definition of vacant/abandoned, threshold for registration, fee structure, penalties, and enforcement) and on funding and administrative capacity to manage registrations and inspections.

Sponsors

  • Co-sponsors: Timaka James-Jones and Solomon Osborne

Note: The bill did not become law in the 2026 session, as indicated by its procedural status in committee. If reintroduced, the core concepts would remain a framework for Greenwood to establish a VASRP via local ordinance.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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