Potential exists in every vacant land opportunity and with a little bit of creative thinking, a side yard presents many possibilities. Do you want to plant a garden, add an addition to your home, install a driveway and garage, or simply want more room for your children or pets to play? If you live or do business next door to a vacant lot owned by the Cuyahoga Land Bank, you may be eligible to purchase the lot to expand your yard or business through our Side Yard Program. One of our most successful and popular programs, the Side Yard Program has helped hundreds of Cuyahoga County residents utilize vacant land in resourceful and imaginative ways.

If you are interested in purchasing a vacant lot next to your home or business, get started by taking the following steps:

• Be aware that the process to purchase a side yard may take between 45 days and nine months to complete. The timeframe to purchase a side yard varies considerably based on the complexity of the transaction, including whether demolition of a structure is necessary, the finishing of the site, and the season when demolition is scheduled.
• Applications will not be processed until a structure is demolished and grass is growing on the site unless otherwise approved by the Cuyahoga Land Bank in unique circumstances.
• Our program operates on a first-come, first-served basis. The first qualified applicant to submit a complete application that is approved by the municipality will receive priority consideration.
• Once the application has been approved and the lot has passed our inspection process, the Cuyahoga Land Bank and the buyer will work together to close the transaction.
• Once demolition is complete and the lot has grass growth, the property can be transferred ”as is” via a limited warranty deed.
• The Cuyahoga Land Bank maintains the right to condition the transfer of title on the buyer’s acceptance of certain deed restrictions that may include provisions to ensure the property is maintained in an agreed-upon way. If the buyer fails to maintain the property, the Cuyahoga Land Bank may exercise its discretion and re-take title to the property from the buyer.

The cost to purchase a single lot is as follows:

• Owner-occupants - $100. To be considered an owner-occupant, you must hold the property in your name, and the tax mailing address must match your property address.
• Investment Property Owners/Businesses - $500
  Properties owned for investment purposes or owned under a business/LLC name.
• The purchase price is due once the application is approved and the applicant receives a Property Conveyance Agreement from the Cuyahoga Land Bank. Payment can be paid by check or money order made payable to the Cuyahoga County Land Reutilization Corporation.

• The applicant should own a property that lies on either side of a Cuyahoga Land Bank lot.
• The applicant must not have any unresolved code violations issued by the local building and zoning authority for their primary residence and any other properties that the applicant owns in Cuyahoga County.
• The applicant must be current on all real estate taxes and assessments for their primary residence and for any other properties that the applicant owns or is affiliated with in Cuyahoga County.
• The applicant must not be a prior owner of real property in Cuyahoga County that was transferred due to tax foreclosure proceedings against the applicant.
• The lot must be vacant and unimproved real property with no structures unless approved by the Cuyahoga Land Bank.
• The applicant must maintain the lot in accordance with all local building, housing and zoning codes.

Eligibility requirements may be waived or modified as determined by the Cuyahoga Land Bank. While such waivers are rare, we grant them on occasion to accommodate unique circumstances such as for non-occupant owners and/or non-adjacent applicants.