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 after a 12-hour window following the end of a snowfall; garbage and tall grass typically prompt 3–10 day deadlines; property-maintenance items can run 15–30 days; tree removal timelines are often extended because of cost or contractor availability. Foster said extensions are considered when the property owner shows progress or demonstrates a schedule for remediation.

When voluntary compliance fails, Foster said the city can pursue citations (which require police assistance for filing) or summary abatement and court action; she said abatement work is billed back to the property owner. She gave one example of a large cleanup handled by the city with public-works staff and dumpsters, noting the court process took about 18 months to complete in that case because of pandemic-related delays. The city attorney, Jack Birkbank, told council members that when it comes to managed natural landscapes there is a state statute that limits local regulation and requires allowance for “managed natural landscape” that is planned, intentional and maintained.

Foster said summary-abatement work is roughly billed at about $240 per hour plus expenses; the department completed one summary abatement in 2024. She said most enforcement is achieved through notices and follow-up inspections; only a small number of cases proceed to court where outcomes and time lines vary.

Council members raised several practical concerns: one asked whether the 12-hour snow-removal notice is realistic for residents who work overnight shifts; another asked whether the city can provide a public battery-recycling drop-off because lithium batteries in household waste pose fire hazards. Foster said the department will research neighboring communities’ snow-removal standards and look into battery-recycling options; another staff speaker noted Public Works currently accepts car and truck batteries at its facility and recommended directing the public to existing recyclers for household batteries.

Parking and driveway materials drew extended council attention. Foster said current code requires vehicles and recreational trailers to be parked on an approved driveway surface such as concrete, asphalt or pavers and that the city no longer recognizes “class 5” material as a compliant driveway surface; several council members said they would like staff to evaluate alternative materials and permitting approaches so lower-cost solutions can be used appropriately where feasible.

Foster and the council also discussed resident-driven initiatives such as “No Mow May” and native-plant gardens. Birkbank advised that a state statute requires the city to allow “managed natural landscape” — defined in state law as planned, intentional and maintained plantings — and that enforcement should focus on maintenance and public-safety impacts (for example, visibility at intersections) rather than plant type alone.

OpenGov is the department’s principal tracking tool, Foster said; staff-entered and resident-submitted reports both feed into the system and notify complainants about status updates. Foster asked for council direction on priorities and resources; council members identified parking, garbage/debris and maintenance of commercial sidewalks near schools as high priorities and asked staff to report back with suggested ordinance-language changes and examples from neighboring suburbs.

Ending

Council and staff agreed to have code-compliance staff return with periodic updates and to research permit and material alternatives for driveways, nearby municipal standards for snow removal, and battery-recycling options.