How far gone does a house have to be to get condemned?

Houses can be condemned for anything that constitutes hazard to health or saftey. Such as septic tank overflows, not up to code wiring or plumbing. Leaky roofs for long periods of time that cause wood to rot. Usually the building inspector has to make the final verdict and he will do a thorough inspection of the property. Depending on whether people are living in the home or not, it may just be declared uninhabitable until repairs or made. If the owner can't afford repairs then the house just deteriorates further until it is declared a hazard and put off limits. Best thing to do if you can't afford the repairs is to stop paying the taxes and let the town seize it.If you pay taxes and retain ownership then you would be responsible for paying for demolition. That is the way it works here, but usually people try not to let their houses get that bad.

I really don't know but I have wondered this same thing myself. Here in SoCal they are doing alot of building. There are alot of really old houses that not even anyone is living in anymore but still they sit. I wonder if they will start tearing them down and building new ones there.