FIRSTREGULARSESSION HOUSEBILLNO.716 103RDGENERALASSEMBLY INTRODUCEDBYREPRESENTATIVEFALKNER. 1838H.01I DANARADEMANMILLER,ChiefClerk ANACT Torepealsection82.1025,RSMo,andtoenactinlieuthereofonenewsectionrelatingto nuisanceactionsfordeterioratedproperty. BeitenactedbytheGeneralAssemblyofthestateofMissouri,asfollows: SectionA.Section82.1025,RSMo,isrepealedandonenewsectionenactedinlieu 2thereof,tobeknownassection82.1025,toreadasfollows: 82.1025.1.Sections82.1025,82.1027and82.1030applytoanuisancelocated 2withintheboundariesof: 3 (1)Anycitynotwithinacounty[orin]; 4 (2)Anyhomerulecitywithatleastthreehundredfiftythousandinhabitants[which] 5thatislocatedinmorethanonecounty; or 6 (3)Anyhomerulecitywithmorethanseventy-onethousandbutfewerthan 7seventy-ninethousandinhabitants. 8 2.Anypropertyownerwhoownspropertywithinonethousandtwohundredfeetofa 9parcelofpropertywhichisallegedtobeanuisancemaybringanuisanceactionunderthis 10sectionagainsttheoffendingpropertyownerfortheamountofdamagecreatedbysuch 11nuisancetothevalueofthepetitioner'sproperty,includingdiminutioninvalueofthe 12petitioner'sproperty,andcourtcosts. 13 3.Anactionforinjunctiverelieftoabateanuisancemaybebroughtunderthis 14sectionby: 15 (1)Anyonewhoownspropertywithinonethousandtwohundredfeettoaproperty 16whichisallegedtobeanuisance;or EXPLANATION—Matterenclosedinbold-facedbrackets[thus] intheabovebillisnotenactedandis intendedtobeomittedfromthelaw.Matterinbold-facetypeintheabovebillisproposedlanguage. 17 (2)Aneighborhoodorganization,asdefinedinsection82.1027,onbehalfofany 18personorpersonswhoownpropertywithintheboundariesoftheneighborhoodor 19neighborhoodsdescribedinthearticlesofincorporationorbylawsoftheneighborhood 20organizationandwhocouldmaintainanuisanceactionunderthissectionorunderthe 21commonlawofprivatenuisance,oronitsownbehalfwithrespecttoanuisanceonproperty 22anywherewithintheboundariesoftheneighborhoodorneighborhoods. 23 4.Anactionshallnotbebroughtunderthissectionuntilsixtydaysaftertheparty 24whobringstheactionhassentwrittennoticeofintenttobringanactionunderthissectionby 25certifiedmail,returnreceiptrequested,postageprepaidto: 26 (1)Thetenant,ifany,orto"occupant"iftheidentityofthetenantcannotbe 27reasonablyascertained,attheproperty'saddress;and 28 (2)Thepropertyownerofrecordatthelastknownaddressofthepropertyowneron 29filewiththecountyorcity,or,ifthepropertyownerisacorporationorothertypeoflimited 30liabilitycompany,tothepropertyowner'sregisteredagentattheagent'saddressofrecord; 31 32thatanuisanceexistsandthatlegalactionmaybetakenagainsttheownerofthepropertyif 33thenuisanceisnoteliminatedwithinsixtydaysafterthedateonthewrittennotice.Ifthe 34noticesentbycertifiedmailisreturnedunclaimedorrefused,designatedbythepostofficeto 35beundeliverable,orsignedforbyapersonotherthantheaddressee,thenadequateand 36sufficientnoticeshallbeprovidedbypostingacopyofthenoticeonthepropertywherethe 37nuisanceallegedlyisoccurring.Aswornaffidavitbythepersonwhomailedorpostedthe 38noticedescribingthedateandmannerthatnoticewasgivenshallbesufficientevidenceto 39establishthatthenoticewasgiven.Thenoticeshallspecify: 40 (a)Theactorconditionthatconstitutesthenuisance; 41 (b)Thedatethenuisancewasfirstdiscovered; 42 (c)Theaddressofthepropertyandlocationonthepropertywheretheactor 43conditionthatconstitutesthenuisanceisallegedlyoccurringorexists;and 44 (d)Thereliefsoughtintheaction. 45 5.Acopyofanoticeofcitationissuedbythecityorcountythatshowsthedatethe 46citationwasissuedshallbeprimafacieevidenceofwhetherandforhowlongacitationhas 47beenpendingagainstthepropertyorthepropertyowner. 48 6.Aproceedingunderthissectionshall: 49 (1)Beheardattheearliestpracticabledate;and 50 (2)Beexpeditedineveryway. 51 7.Whenapropertyownerorneighborhoodorganizationbringsanactionunderthis 52sectionforinjunctiverelieftoabateanuisance,aprimafaciecaseforinjunctivereliefshallbe HB716 2 53madeuponproofthatanuisanceexistsontheproperty.Suchanactionshallnotrequireproof 54thatthepartybringingtheactionhassustaineddamageorlossasaresultofthenuisance. 55 8.Withrespecttoanactionunderthissectionagainsttheownerofcommercialor 56industrialproperty,whenapropertyownerorneighborhoodorganizationbringingtheaction 57prevailsinsuchaction,suchpropertyownerororganizationmaybeentitledtoanawardfor 58itsreasonableattorneys'feesandexpenses,asorderedbythecourt,incurredinbringingand 59prosecutingtheaction,whichawardforattorneys'feesandexpensesshallbeenteredasa 60judgmentagainsttheownerofthepropertyonwhichtheactorconditionconstitutingthe 61nuisanceoccurredorwaslocated. 62 9.Propertyownersbringingalawsuitbasedontheprimafaciecasestandardunder 63subsections5and7ofthissection,orseeking[attorney] attorneys'feesandexpensesunder 64subsection8ofthissection,shallbelimitedtolawsuitsinvolvingpropertyownershipinany 65homerulecitywithmorethanthreehundredfiftythousandinhabitantsandlocatedinmore 66thanonecounty[or],anycitynotwithinacounty, oranyhomerulecitywithmorethan 67seventy-onethousandbutfewerthanseventy-ninethousandinhabitantsandshall 68otherwisebelimitedtothegeneralstandardsfornuisanceapplyingtootherpolitical 69subdivisionsundersubsection1ofthissection. ✔ HB716 3