Everett sues owners of abandoned properties for alleged code violations

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, May 26, 2026

EVERETT — The city of Everett sued the owners of five abandoned properties just south of downtown that have violated city codes for years, becoming hubs for trash accumulation and break-ins, multiple lawsuits allege.

In five separate lawsuits filed in Snohomish County Superior Court earlier in May, the city said the the properties, located on the 3100 and 3200 blocks of Lombard Avenue, were left abandoned and unsecured for years, allowing trespassers to inhabit the structures. Some had fences and windows around the properties that were broken. One building had been condemned by the city because it lacked utility connections, yet remained standing for more than two years.

All of them, the city alleged, were beginning to accumulate significant amounts of trash, including “discarded mattresses, broken household appliances” and “inoperable vehicles,” the city wrote in one of the lawsuits.

Four of the properties are owned by a Shoreline couple who both work in Seattle-area real estate companies. One property is owned by a Lynnwood couple that also owns real estate around Snohomish County. The owners of the properties did not respond to an email seeking comment and, as of Friday, have not yet filed responses in court.

In a statement Thursday, the city declined to comment beyond its court filings, citing the pending litigation.

Everett is asking the courts for permission to enter the properties to correct the code violations “by force if necessary,” the lawsuits read, through what’s known as a warrant of abatement. If granted, it could allow the city to remove any and all debris or demolish the structures on the properties if necessary — work that could be paid for by the property owners.

According to court records filed earlier this month, the city said that code enforcement officers were first made aware of a vacant structure along Lombard Avenue in November 2022. Through a number of years, the city issued multiple notices to the property owners, the lawsuits allege. Some notices led to temporary fixes, others were ignored.

In March, the city issued notices of violation and orders to correct to the property owners, requiring them to demolish all structures on the properties. The notices required the owners to submit permit applications to the city required for the demolitions by May, or face fines.

According to the lawsuits, the notices went unanswered. The owners have failed to take steps toward remedying the issues, according to the city, and have not appealed the March notices.

“The City has received numerous reports from neighbors, Police, City Council members, and the Mayor’s office of continued accumulation of garbage, graffiti, large numbers of people coming and going, continuous trespassing/break-ins, and other disturbances at the Property,” the lawsuits read.

The lawsuits ask the courts to rule that the owners’ actions have constituted a public nuisance by allowing the structures to remain vacant and boarded up for years without remedy, neglect that the city argued violates municipal code.

The city council gave the go-ahead to pursue the lawsuits at a May 13 meeting.

“We have tried to give relief to the neighbors with every administrative tool in our disposal and they have resisted compliance,” city attorney David Hall said at the meeting. “Now we would like to take the next step of enforcing the code requirements in superior court.”

Will Geschke: 425-339-3443; william.geschke@heraldnet.com; X: @willgeschke.