(a) Whenever the acquisition of any real property in a designated blighted area is proposed and is predicated solely upon the findings that the structure or structures involved are dilapidated and are in violation of the applicable building and housing codes, the owner of the property shall be notified of the planned acquisition by certified mail to the owner's latest address of record, and the owner shall be accorded a reasonable time, in no case less than ninety (90) days from the date of the notice, to bring the substandard structure into compliance with such codes.
(b) This section shall not apply in any county having a metropolitan form of government or in any county with a population of: