By Jorge Casuso

November 18, 2025 -- Santa Monica's more than 150 vacant buildings will be required to be registered with the City, making it easier to enforce everything from a missing fence to a broken security light.

The new vacant properties registration ordinance will kick in 30 days after the City Council is expected to give its final approval on Tuesday and carries fees and penalties that have not yet been set.

Anyone who "owns or has control of a vacant property" must register the property by July 1, 2026 or within 30 days after it becomes vacant, whichever is later.

"A number of properties in the City have been abandoned or allowed
to remain vacant without proper monitoring or security, leading to vandalism, squatting, arson, and destruction," the ordinance reads.

A vacant property can "depreciate property values, reduce property tax revenue (and) attract crime," according to the ordinance.

As of July 2025, City officials were aware of at least 167 vacant properties, "approximately half of which are maintained in some level of disrepair or noncompliance with the City’s vacant property standards."

Maintaining a registry will make it easier to notify property owners of a violation or dangerous condition, since more than 100 vacant properties on file with the Los Angeles County Assessor listed the wrong address, City officials said.

"Vacant property owners are often located outside of the area or state
and do not provide regular monitoring or securing of their properties," the ordinance states.

Under the ordinance -- which repeals and replaces the current provisions in the Municipal Code -- owners of vacant properties must file a valid Trespass Arrest Authorization with the Police Department.

Many of the provisions revise the wording of the current ordinance while making similar requirements, such as immediately removing graffiti and fixing broken or missing fencing.

Vacant properties that require fencing must have security lighting at all entrances and exits from dusk until dawn, as well as "motion-activated video surveillance cameras that provide two-way communication and mobile live-view video."

Some properties may also be required to provide onsite security personnel or roaming security patrol that could be required around the clock.

All vacant properties must be "kept clean, watered, and free of weeds" and "all trash, debris, rubbish, discarded furniture, and defective or discarded equipment or appliances" must be removed.

All premises must also be kept free of "parked, abandoned, or inoperable vehicles" that don't have a permit or City approval," as well as "from insect and rodent infestation and other noxious pests."

When registering a property, the owner must provide "a description of the most recent legal use of the property before it became vacant" and "any future plans."

The owner also must pay "a vacant property monitoring fee, in an amount established by resolution of the City Council."