Code enforcement reports nearly all rental licenses issued; inspections scheduled through December

At the start of the Oct. 8 Smart Growth Committee meeting the borough’s code director provided a written and verbal update on enforcement, permitting and planning‑commission compliance efforts.

The director said October is National Code Enforcement Officer Appreciation Month and acknowledged the code department staff for recent work. On rental licensing the director reported the borough is down to about 350 outstanding rental licenses, which she described as roughly 95% complete and “far ahead of where we were last year.” Staff said they will work through the remaining outstanding licenses over the next month with the goal of addressing as many as possible before year‑end.

Inspections and permitting

Code enforcement has scheduled routine inspections and re‑inspections into December and plans to begin work into January; the stated strategy is to inspect and reinspect to improve housing conditions rather than replace housing stock. The building department emphasized visible permits and approved plans must be on‑site during work; staff said inspectors had observed permits not displayed and are educating contractors and homeowners about visible permit requirements.

Why it matters: active inspections and a high rental‑license completion rate indicate borough staff are enforcing property standards and moving toward compliance, but the timeline for remaining cases and enforcement outcomes was not specified on the record.

Speakers

• Director (name not specified on the public record) — Code Enforcement Director, West Chester Borough (staff). • Staff references: Wendy, Keisha, Corday, Sunwell and Paul (code enforcement staff acknowledged).

Authorities

• Borough rental licensing program and local building/inspection code provisions (referenced in report).

Clarifying details

• Outstanding rental licenses: approximately 350 remain outstanding; borough staff characterized that as about 95% of licenses completed. • Inspection scheduling: inspections and re‑inspections scheduled into December; staff plan to work into January. • Permit display: building department requires permits to be visibly posted at job sites and approved plans to be on site prior to enforcement; education campaign underway.

Actions extracted

• No formal vote recorded; director provided operational report and staff will continue inspections and license follow‑up.

Proper names

[{"name":"Wendy","type":"person"},{"name":"Keisha","type":"person"},{"name":"Corday","type":"person"},{"name":"Sunwell","type":"person"},{"name":"Paul","type":"person"}]

Meeting context

Engagement level: brief staff report with limited public questions; operational update rather than policy decision. Implementation risk: low (staff action on license compliance and inspections is routine). History: code enforcement report referenced prior year compliance as a baseline.

Searchable_tags:["code_enforcement","rental_licenses","inspections","permits"],

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