Irving Building and Standards Commission delays fines, reduces penalty and sets return dates for multiple dilapidated properties

The City of Irving Building and Standards Commission on April 23, 2025 reviewed six continued and new code-enforcement cases and took a mix of continuances, penalty holds and orders to appear for property owners to report progress.

The matters — ranging from a commercially zoned structure at 415 West Pioneer Drive to a fire-damaged house on Oakland Drive — involved staff requests for civil penalties, owners’ testimony about funding or title problems, and commissioners’ repeated requests for permits, scopes of work and timelines. The commission declined to levy several recommended fines immediately, instead ordering owners to return with evidence of progress; in one case the commission reduced staff’s recommended civil penalty.

The cases matter to nearby neighborhoods and potential buyers because commission orders can become recorded as liens in the county deed records, which staff said can affect clearing title and completing sales. Several owners told the commission they are seeking funds or legal help; staff repeatedly noted outstanding permits or the need for engineering reports before structural work can proceed.

Dale Demers, the city’s code enforcement manager, presented multiple cases and summarized staff’s findings and recommendations. For 415 West Pioneer Drive, Demers said the commission’s prior order had not been satisfied and staff sought civil penalties at $10 per violation per day for nine remaining violations dating back to Jan. 23, 2025 (91 days), a total requested amount of $8,190. Owner Art Bertanzetti testified he recently closed a sale elsewhere and said, “I have plenty of money now to fix it up,” and described a contractor waiting on Andersen windows that he said would arrive in three to four weeks. Commissioners pressed him for permits, a…