A 780-square-foot mobile home on a half-acre lot along Ridge Road in Carroll County has sat empty for two years since its previous renter died, and neighbors say the abandoned property has turned into a breeding ground for rats, snakes and illegally dumped trash. Carroll County officials now say they have tracked down the owner and are preparing to issue citations.
According to FOX 5 Atlanta, the mobile home has remained untouched since the renter's death, with overgrown weeds and garbage piling up on the lot in the two years since. Nearby residents describe the vacant property as a magnet for vermin and reptiles that have crept into their own yards.
Neighbors Describe Rats Scattering Through Tall Grass
Neighbor Danny Lanning said he got a firsthand look at the scope of the problem about two months ago, when he finally took a mower to the towering grass on the property. “When I started mowing that big, tall grass, rats and running everywhere,” Lanning said, describing the scene to the outlet. Residents also report that the overgrowth and clutter have made the lot attractive to snakes slipping into adjacent properties.
The trash problem hasn't stayed confined to the mobile home's original debris, either. Neighbors say outsiders have treated the empty lot as an informal dumping ground, hauling in tires and garbage of their own. “We've seen people pull up in the yard and dump tires in the yard,” one resident said, according to the same report.
County Says Owner Identified, Citations Coming
Carroll County officials confirmed they have located the property's owner, an Atlanta-based company called JB Partners LLC, and say they are prepared to issue official citations over the condition of the lot. The county has not provided a specific date for when JB Partners LLC must appear in court or complete a cleanup of the property, the station's report notes.
Under Carroll County's code enforcement process, a violation typically triggers a window for the property owner to bring things into compliance before a citation is issued, according to Carroll County, Georgia. County codes enforcement officers are tasked with issuing notices of violation and citations, enforcing property maintenance rules, and investigating complaints tied to junk and abandoned property, per the county's own job description for the role.
For now, the Ridge Road property remains in the same condition that has frustrated neighbors for two years, with no confirmed timeline for when the county's enforcement process will force a change.
