Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Columbia County outlines code enforcement duties; officials cite 5,000 cases last year
Summary
Columbia County’s Code Enforcement manager described routine enforcement priorities — grass, trash, vehicles, signs and zoning — and said the office handled more than 5,000 cases last year, with about one-third coming from public complaints and the remainder initiated proactively.
Columbia County’s Code Enforcement department handled more than 5,000 cases last year and focuses primarily on property maintenance issues such as grass, trash, vehicles and zoning violations, Code Enforcement Manager Dana Rhodes said during an informational “A to Z and CC” video segment hosted by Cassidy Harris, public relations manager.
Rhodes said the office aims for “compliance with compassion” and handles both routine and complex matters, from routine trash-container and yard-maintenance complaints to condemnations that can take months and require support from the sheriff’s office, Adult Protective Services and the Department of Family and Children’s Services. “Those last for months on end,” Rhodes said of condemnation cases.
The department enforces a county grass-height limit of 10 inches and generally relies on visual inspection rather than precise measurement, Rhodes said. Residential trash must be stored in containers, and vehicles on private property must be both roadworthy and currently tagged to avoid enforcement. Rhodes said the county allows about 60 days, “per the ordinance,” for major repairs such as engine overhauls if they are done off-road or in a garage; otherwise the office may pursue further action.
Rhodes said roughly one-third of last year’s cases were reported by the public and the rest were proactive investigations started by staff. “We did over 5,000 cases last year. Only about 33 percent of those were ones that were called in from the public,” she said. For serious or persistent violations the county pursues citations that require an appearance in magistrate court rather than a simple pay-and-go fine.
Signs in the public right of way are another frequent enforcement item. Rhodes said the department removed nearly 5,000 signs from rights of way last year, noting a political election increased that workload. “We picked up and removed from the right way almost 5,000 signs,” she said.
Daily work for officers varies, Rhodes said: staff review new 311 and email reports, schedule reinspections, and respond to occasional “fire drills” such as pool, zoning or business compliance complaints. The department enforces business-license and occupation-tax rules when a commercial activity changes the character of a neighborhood.
To contact the office, Rhodes directed residents to call 311 from a landline, call the code enforcement office at (706) 312-7298, or use the email form on the county website. “If you are the eyes and ears in a residential area or in a business district, you’re already doing part of the work for us,” she said.
The segment was informational and did not include any formal votes or policy changes; it focused on explaining enforcement priorities, timeframes and avenues for reporting concerns to county staff.
