North St. Paul fire department summarizes 2024 code-compliance activity; council discusses snow, parking and native landscaping

Fire Department staff and the City Council used the April 1 workshop to review code-compliance operations, enforcement priorities and common problems residents reported in 2024.

Firefighter and code compliance officer Mackenzie Foster led the presentation and told the council staff entered 228 code-compliance reports in OpenGov in 2024; residents submitted 121 separate reports through the same resident-reporting portal. Foster said the most frequent staff-entered problems were tall grass and weeds (93 incidents) and vehicle-parking complaints (48), while resident submissions commonly flagged garbage and debris and other property-maintenance concerns.

Foster described field procedures: when she receives a report she visits the property, photographs the condition and records the evidence in OpenGov, then issues written notice and monitors progress. “I usually try to get some pictures of it,” Foster said, explaining photographs both document the violation and make follow-up clearer for residents and staff.

Time frames for correction vary by severity: Foster said immediate corrections are required for hazards such as illegal dumping in the right-of-way; snow removal notices begin…