760

LAWS OF MARYLAND

Ch. 189

of Maryland be repealed, amended, or enacted to read as
follows:

Article 7 - Carroll County

[3-18.

(a)  The board of county commissioners shall have
power, whenever the owner or person in charge of any
improved or unimproved lot or vacant premises shall fail,
after written notice, to remove any menace to the public
health or safety arising from the growth of weeds, the
accumulation of refuse, the presence of stagnant water or of
combustible material, to enter upon the premises by its
officers and agents and cause such menace to be abated.
Notice of the reasonable costs incurred in abating such
menace shall be delivered or mailed to the person in charge
of the property and to the person in whose name the property
is assessed for taxation. If the cost shall not be paid
within sixty days from the giving of such notice the county
commissioners may recover the costs by civil action, or may
fix a date for hearing to determine whether the costs should
be assessed against the property as a special tax. Notice
of such hearing shall be posted on the property and sent by
registered mail to the last known address of the person in
whose name the property is assessed for taxation.

(b)  If the name of the owner of the property be
unknown, or the owner be a nonresident of the county, notice
of the proposed assessment and of the date and place of the
hearing shall be published once a week for three consecutive
weeks in some newspaper having general circulation in the
county. At the hearing, unless good cause to the contrary
be shown, the county commissioners shall have authority to
levy the reasonable costs incurred by the county, together
with the expense of advertising, as a special tax against
the property. The assessment shall be added to the annual
tax bill against the property to be collected in the same
manner as ordinary taxes are collected and subject to the
same interest and penalty for nonpayment, as provided by law
for the nonpayment of county taxes. Such special tax shall
constitute a lien against the property from the date of the
assessment until paid.]

3-18.

(A)  IN THIS SECTION, "NOTICE" MEANS DELIVERING TO THE
OWNER OR OCCUPANT OF PROPERTY A WRITTEN ORDER TO ABATE.

(B)  THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS MAY REMOVE ANY NUISANCE
OR MENACE TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH OR SAFETY ARISING FROM THE
GROWTH OF WEEDS, THE ACCUMULATION OF REFUSE, THE PRESENCE OF
STAGNANT WATER, OR THE PRESENCE OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIAL
AFTER 10 DAYS' ADVANCE NOTICE TO THE OWNER OR OCCUPANT OF
THE PROPERTY UPON WHICH THE NUISANCE OR MENACE IS FOUND.
NOTICE MAY BE GIVEN BY PERSONAL SERVICE OR BY MAIL. IF THE
WRITTEN ORDER IS DELIVERED BY MAIL, NOTICE IS EFFECTIVE AT