The DeKalb County Commission lowered the fees and fines for its foreclosure registry this week, but officials don’t expect enforcement to suffer.
The county was the first in the state to require landlords to pay, which financed the government's capacity to inspect and maintain a list of foreclosed properties. But the state this year adopted a new law setting uniform rules for the registries.
Under the new law, DeKalb can charge only $100 for property registration and penalties for failure to register are capped at $1,000 per year. The county had been collecting $175 in registration fees and $500 in penalties for each month out of compliance.
Registry director Tonza Clark said no properties ever accumulated several months’ of fines but the possibility of a costly penalty served as an incentive for owners to register and maintain their properties.
“It will hurt us not to have that incentive but it remains a workable and effective tool,” Clark said.
DeKalb has the third-highest number of foreclosures in the state, after Gwinnett and Fulton respectively. Gwinnett also has a foreclosure registry.
DeKalb’s registry generated $838,775 between its launch in October 2010 and the end of 2011. The money funds administrative oversight as well as two code enforcement officers who inspect only foreclosed properties.
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