LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Lincoln’s neglected building registry is putting financial pressure on homeowners to fix or demolish the city’s most problematic properties.

Owners of neglected property have 30 days to register and pay $500. After 90 days, the owner must register again and pay $500 for another three months. If owners do not voluntarily register, the city will file paperwork for them, charging the $500 fee and a $500 penalty.

The city placed 28 properties on the registry in the past year. Eighteen of those properties were declared neglected after city inspectors fielded complaints, and 10 properties were declared neglected after they had been condemned as unlivable for two years or more.

Assistant City Attorney Chris Connolly wrote the registry ordinance after reviewing how six other cities handle neglected properties.