Vacant Property Registration

In November 2019 the City of Topeka established an ordinance to require the registration of vacant properties and properties that are the subject of mortgage foreclosure proceedings. The registration of vacant properties is to help address the deterioration, crime and decline in property values in Topeka by identifying, regulating and working to limit and reduce the number of vacant properties in the community. Letters have been sent out by the city’s contractor ProChamps to owners of properties that have been determined to be vacant for more than 180 days.
ProChamps implements the registration requirement for properties that have been vacant more than 180 days pursuant to TMC 8.65. ProChamps recently mailed out 1,400 letters requiring owners of these properties to register. If a particular owner wishes to dispute whether his or her property is vacant, the owner can do so through the internet link provided on the notice and choose the dispute option on the link. Property Maintenance staff will review the dispute, make a determination whether the property falls within the purview of the ordinance, and will notify the property owner. We apologize for any alarm or inconvenience this may have caused and, again, encourage those who received a letter and wish to file a dispute to follow the process outlined above.
If the property owner has questions concerning the City’s determination, the owner can contact Property Maintenance staff by email at mhaugen@topeka.org or call 785-368-3161. If the property owner has questions about how to dispute an initial determination, the owner can contact Prochamps at support@prochamps.com or 1-888-463-7770.