Interim L&I director reports enforcement activity; city says more than $1 million owed in delinquent rental-registration fees

Andrew Hayman, interim director of Licenses & Inspections (L&I), gave council a status report on the department’s enforcement activity and administrative work during the April 9 meeting.

Hayman said March showed approximately 138 complaints citywide (he described the number as approximate and said the dataset may still be updated). Of those, he said 37 complaints related to trash, debris, overgrown grass and sanitation issues; inspectors issued 22 violations and 12 stop-work orders in March. For April to date, Hayman reported additional violations and at least eight stop-work orders so far, noting the April figures are incomplete and likely to rise as staff finish data entry.

Hayman described inspection capacity: field inspectors typically inspect about five properties per day, not counting larger apartment buildings and complexes that require separate inspection procedures. He said the department conducts inspections of some 50-unit and larger complexes that are not counted in the daily five-property average.

On rental licensing, Hayman said the city is “catching up” on delinquent annual rental-registration fees and that the outstanding amount is just north of $1 million. He said there is a 316-page list of properties with delinquent registrations and that the department intends to pursue those outstanding fees.

Council members praised staff work and asked for follow up. Councilman Green and others commended the inspectors and clerks. Hayman and other council members described increased collaboration between L&I, Public Works and the Police Department to address illegal dumping, abandoned vehicles and known dump sites; Hayman said crews have identified and removed vehicles at multiple locations, including intersections around Eighth & Potter and Ninth & Wharton.

Why it matters

The L&I report provides the council with an operational picture of enforcement capacity, outstanding code violations, and the extent of unpaid rental-registration revenue. The delinquent-registration total is a budgetary concern; enforcement and collection will affect revenue projections and may require additional administrative work.

What’s next

Hayman said the department will continue to refine the March and April data and will brief council again as figures are finalized. Staff will pursue collection of delinquent rental-registration fees and continue interdepartmental enforcement work on abandoned vehicles and dump-site cleanups.

Source: public remarks by Andrew Hayman, interim L&I director, and follow-up statements from council during the April 9, 2025 council meeting transcript.