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Yucaipa adopts Fine Forgiveness Program to clear long-running code fines if violations corrected by May 15
Summary
Council approved the Yucaipa Fine Forgiveness Program, allowing property owners with historical municipal-code fines to apply to have accrued fines waived if they correct violations by May 15; staff said the measure aims to reduce blight and administrative burden.
The City Council on Feb. 24 adopted the “Yucaipa Fine Forgiveness Program,” a time-limited plan to waive accumulated municipal-code fines for qualifying property owners who correct outstanding violations by May 15, 2025. Staff said the waiver program is intended to reduce long-standing blight, encourage compliance and reduce ongoing administrative and enforcement workload.
Code enforcement staff explained that the city’s code-violation caseload contains many historical cases in which repeated citations accrued because property owners did not remedy violations. The proposed program creates an application process, on-site inspections to verify correction and authority for the city manager (or designee) to grant waivers once compliance is confirmed. Staff noted a fiscal trade‑off: the city would forgo potential fine revenue but expected reduced enforcement costs and improved property conditions.
During council discussion members emphasized public‑safety and accessibility reasons for the proposal, saying fines often persisted while hazards remained and that the program would bring properties back to compliance more quickly. The council voted to adopt resolution 2025-04 (as presented in staff exhibit A) to implement the Yucaipa Fine Forgiveness Program.
The resolution authorizes the city manager or designee to implement the program and describes eligibility criteria, inspection procedures and a waiver mechanism. Staff noted the program’s deadline for correction of violations is May 15, 2025, and that the city will post application materials and program details on the city website.
