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Code enforcement team outlines multitiered response to nuisance properties; staff say resource gaps hinder long-term compliance
Summary
Buncombe County’s code enforcement team described a multi-department approach to complex nuisance cases, reported 2,192 complaints since February and 107 properties that met multi-violation thresholds; staff said some properties relapse and that monitoring, legal resources and ordinance updates are needed to sustain compliance.
Jason Rogers, a county code-enforcement official, briefed the Buncombe County Board on July 15 about the county’s multi-department code-enforcement team, its workload since February and challenges in keeping properties compliant long term.
Rogers said the code-enforcement effort was established in 2021–2022 to coordinate across departments including air quality, environmental health, fire marshal, permits and inspections, planning, solid-waste environmental control and county legal. He said the team uses standing meetings and on-site visits to develop trauma-informed, multidisciplinary remedies.
Since February, Rogers said, the county logged 2,192 complaints in the Exela system; of those, 107 properties met the team’s threshold for multi-department review (typically two or more distinct violations), encompassing roughly 330 individual complaints. Rogers identified common enforcement areas as junk and trash, junk vehicles, illegal burning, wastewater/sewage issues, RV park concerns and building-condemnation work.
Rogers described successes — notably cleanup of a site that had amassed thousands of tires and related fire risks — but said challenges persist: absentee or out-of-state owners, occupants who are not owners, social issues including homelessness and substance use, legal and financial barriers to remedies, and repeat violations on properties once cleared. He said monitoring after an initial cleanup is resource-intensive and that some follow-up options include court judgments, contempt actions and recovering county expenses for cleanup when legally possible.
Rogers and commissioners discussed opportunities to update county ordinances and improve interdepartmental systems (including fuller Exela implementation) to increase efficiency. Commissioners said the work is time-consuming and recommended exploring contracted monitoring or dedicated staff to prevent recurring violations.
