Mountlake Terrace staff report stepped-up code enforcement, restart rental-inspection program

Laura Stephenson, Mountlake Terrace code compliance officer, told the Planning Commission on Jan. 27 that she inherited a backlog when code enforcement moved from the police department to Community and Economic Development and that staff have intensified enforcement efforts.

"As of May, there was a backlog of 97 open cases," Stephenson said. "From May through December, I opened 106 additional cases, closing 60 from the backlog and 43 of the new cases. So in total, I worked 203 cases and closed a 103." She added that "almost all corrections are made voluntarily."

The presentation and ensuing discussion focused on three linked areas: the types and volumes of violations, how the city processes violations from notice to abatement, and the city’s renewed rental business license and inspection program. Stephenson said more than half the city's cases are building-code violations—often missing permits tied to flips, additions and accessory units—and that nuisance and unsafe-condition cases (overgrown vegetation, exposed wiring, tenants in sheds, raw sewage) are prioritized.

Stephenson outlined the city's enforcement steps: pre-enforcement notices, voluntary…