2018 Oakland Ordinance 13571 Amending Municipal Code to Clarify and Expand Vacancy Tax

Oakland adopted a vacant property tax to address blight, housing underutilization, and fund homelessness services, but needed clearer definitions and procedures to fairly implement the policy. This ordinance clarifies what qualifies as "use" or "vacant," expands and specifies exemption categories, and creates formal administrative and appeals processes to assess and contest vacancy status.