It's been over two years; maybe he'll read it now.

Contrary to Building Commissioner Ron Hartman's assertions, the city need not hire a detective agency to track down owners of dilapidated properties. Notification of building repair orders via the local newspaper is allowed under Indiana law when a letter to an owner's last known address is returned as undeliverable. In fact, the state suggests that notice publication take place simultaneously with snail mail for "administrative convenience", just in case it's returned.

The law even says that failure to record an ownership interest or to provide the building commissioner's office with contact information in the absence of that recording is considered consent for corrective action and a relinquishment of any legal claims concerning notice.

Here's the New Albany law:

150.103 ENFORCEMENT; SERVICE OF NOTICES AND ORDERS; HEARINGS.

(A) Whenever the Health Officer or the Building Commissioner determines that there are reasonable grounds to believe that there has been a violation of any provision of this subchapter or of any rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto, he shall give notice of such violation to the person or persons responsible therefor, as herein provided. Such notice shall:

(1) Be in writing,

(2) Include a list of the violations found,

(3) Allow a reasonable time for the performance of any act it requires, and

(4) Be served upon the owner or his agent, or the occupant as the case may require; provided that such notice shall be deemed to be properly served upon such owner or agent or upon such occupant if a copy thereof is served upon him personally, if a copy thereof is sent by registered mail to his last known address, or if service is effected by any other method authorized under the laws of this state.


Which laws of the state apply? I'm pretty sure this part of Indiana's unsafe building law does:

IC 36-7-9-25
Manner of serving notice
Sec. 25. (a) Notice of orders, notice of continued hearings without a specified date, notice of a statement that public bids are to be let, and notice of claims for payment must be given by:
(1) sending a copy of the order or statement by registered or certified mail to the residence or place of business or employment of the person to be notified, with return receipt requested;
(2) delivering a copy of the order or statement personally to the person to be notified;
(3) leaving a copy of the order or statement at the dwelling or usual place of abode of the person to be notified and sending by first class mail a copy of the order or statement to the last known address of the person to be notified; or
(4) sending a copy of the order or statement by first class mail to the last known address of the person to be notified.
If a notice described in subdivision (1) is returned undelivered, a copy of the order or statement must be given in accordance with subdivision (2), (3), or (4).
(b) If service is not obtained by a means described in subsection (a) and the hearing authority concludes that a reasonable effort has been made to obtain service, service may be made by publishing a notice of the order or statement in accordance with IC 5-3-1 in the county where the unsafe premises are located. However, publication may be made on consecutive days. If service of an order is made by publication, the publication must include the information required by subdivisions (1), (2), (4), (5), (6), (7), and (9) of section 5(b) of this

chapter, and must also include a statement indicating generally what action is required by the order and that the exact terms of the order may be obtained from the enforcement authority. The hearing authority may make a determination about whether a reasonable effort has been made to obtain service by the means described in subsection (a) on the basis of information provided by the department (or, in the case of a consolidated city, the enforcement authority). The hearing authority is not required to make the determination at a hearing. The hearing authority must make the determination in writing.
(c) When service is made by any of the means described in this section, except by mailing or by publication, the person making service must make an affidavit stating that the person has made the service, the manner in which service was made, to whom the order or statement was issued, the nature of the order or statement, and the date of service. The affidavit must be placed on file with the enforcement authority.
(d) The date when notice of the order or statement is considered given is as follows:
(1) If the order or statement is delivered personally or left at the dwelling or usual place of abode, notice is considered given on the day when the order or statement is delivered to the person or left at the person's dwelling or usual place of abode.
(2) If the order or statement is mailed, notice is considered given on the date shown on the return receipt, or, if no date is shown, on the date when the return receipt is received by the enforcement authority.
(3) Notice by publication is considered given on the date of the second day that publication was made.
(e) A person with a property interest in an unsafe premises who does not:
(1) record an instrument reflecting the interest in the recorder's office of the county where the unsafe premises is located; or
(2) if an instrument reflecting the interest is not recorded, provide to the department (or, in the case of a consolidated city, the enforcement authority) in writing the person's name and address and the location of the unsafe premises;
is considered to consent to reasonable action taken under this chapter for which notice would be required and relinquish a claim to notice under this chapter.
(f) The department (or, in the case of a consolidated city, the enforcement authority) may, for the sake of administrative convenience, publish notice under subsection (b) at the same time notice is attempted under subsection (a). If published notice is given as described in subsection (b), the hearing authority shall subsequently make a determination about whether a reasonable effort has been made to obtain service by the means described in subsection (a).
As added by Acts 1981, P.L.309, SEC.28. Amended by Acts 1981, P.L.45, SEC.27; P.L.59-1986, SEC.15; P.L.169-2006, SEC.69;

P.L.194-2007, SEC.12.

Indiana's unsafe building law is available here. I'm keen on further exploring the section relative to court ordered receivership as a means of dealing with problematic properties myself.

Are we to assume Mr. Hartman hasn't read that bit, either?