Clallam County Community Development staff on Aug. 18 presented a second-quarter update showing increased case closures and new enforcement practices after a staffing shortfall earlier in the year.
Key findings: staff said the program closed 26 cases in the quarter, issued 45 junk-vehicle affidavits, removed 12 tons of solid waste as part of cleanup efforts and handled other enforcement actions; staff reported the office is now fully staffed after recent hires and expects case-resolution rates to continue improving.
New enforcement approach: staff said they have been issuing more stop-work orders on active commercial and shoreline violations and are also using expedited hearing-examiner schedules to obtain compliance in 60-day windows for stop-work orders. They said administrative procedures vary by violation type (building-permit noncompliance, critical-area/shoreline violations, title-41 solid-waste violations) and that remedies range from permits and correction plans to fines and liens.
Fines, enforcement and appeals: staff said the hearing examiner assessed fines in some matters (one cited fine totaling just over $11,000 pending appeal) and that the county is using daily-assessed fines (example: $250/day) in some cases when an order is disobeyed. Commissioners requested additional tracking in future reports for fines assessed, payment status, liens and the stage of appeals to improve oversight of enforcement outcomes.
Interagency work: staff said the department coordinates monthly with the sheriff’s office and environmental-health staff on encampments and septic-related violations; they also use civil remedies under Title 41 to pursue large solid-waste matters and can seek hearing-examiner fines or liens for code violations when appropriate.
Next steps: staff will continue quarterly reporting, increase use of stop-work and hearing processes for real-time violations, track enforcement revenues and outcomes, and bring proposed code changes or amnesty programs for building-permit legacy violations if the board directs further policy work.