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Council amends Part 13 of city building code to use civil fines; emergency clause approved
Summary
The Kent City Council approved amendments to Part 13 of the city building code to convert certain criminal penalties to civil offenses and added an emergency clause. Staff said the change matches the city's property-maintenance enforcement approach and flagged additional code chapters for review next month.
The Kent City Council voted to amend Part 13 of the city building code to convert certain penalties to civil offenses and approved the changes with an emergency clause.
Bridget, a city staff member presenting the item, said staff had found inconsistencies between Part 13 and the property-maintenance provisions in Chapter 14. She said the civil-offense mechanism has been the most effective enforcement tool and that the amendment aligns the building code’s penalty language with the city’s property-maintenance licensing program.
Bridget told the council she had identified additional language in Chapter 13 that requires later review and plans to return next month with further proposed adjustments. She also said the city has a separate chapter for registration of vacant properties, which was drafted by former council member Eric Polenta and has not been implemented; she said she may ask the council to remove that chapter in a future meeting.
Councilmember Roger asked whether a civil offense could ever become a criminal offense. Bridget responded that the revised wording allows the city to pursue other legal mechanisms where appropriate, including court actions. She said staff has used civil fines in three active cases, including a garage damaged by fire that the owner has not demolished and that the city intends to seek injunctive relief in court for that parcel.
A councilmember moved to approve the amendments with an emergency clause; the motion was seconded and approved on a voice vote with no recorded opposition.
Why it matters: Converting specific violations to civil offenses changes the procedural path for enforcement and can allow quicker administrative fines, while retaining the city’s ability to seek court remedies in some situations. The council’s emergency clause means the amendments take effect sooner than standard ordinance timelines, pending final administrative processing.
Next steps: Staff said it will return next month with further cleanups to Chapter 13 and recommendations regarding the vacant-property chapter.
