Napa County code compliance division reports increase in building‑permit enforcement, roosters and trailer‑habitation issues; staff outlines 2025‑26 enforcement

Napa County code compliance staff briefed the Board of Supervisors Tuesday on work completed in 2024–25 and on enforcement priorities for 2025–26, highlighting five recurring problem areas: unpermitted construction, substandard housing, trailer habitation tied to 2020 fire recovery, unregulated poultry operations (including large numbers of roosters), and emerging water‑system equipment such as reverse‑osmosis units.

Akenya Robinson‑Webb, co‑compliance manager in Planning, Building and Environmental Services, said about 44% of the division’s caseload involves permitting enforcement for construction that proceeded without building permits. During the 2024–25 fiscal year the division processed permit applications for more than $4.7 million of previously unpermitted construction and collected about $616,000 in permit fees; roughly $407,000 of those fees were recorded as investigation fees. The division continues to triage cases by public‑safety and environmental priority rather than by arrival time.

Robinson‑Webb and code officers showed photographs of substandard housing with black mold and unsanitary conditions; staff said one such property was referred by sheriff’s outreach teams and the occupants were relocated. The division said most cases are resolved through voluntary compliance, building permits and demolition where necessary, but some require escalated enforcement including citations or referral to County Counsel.

Sergeant Walsh of the Sheriff’s Office described criminal and public‑safety issues tied to large rooster‑keeping operations. County code currently allows up to 25 roosters per acre with a 100‑rooster maximum, a threshold staff and sheriff’s deputies said is higher than neighboring jurisdictions and can unintentionally attract illegal cockfighting operations. Walsh said investigations commonly find individual cages, modified birds (spurs and combs altered), animal welfare concerns and related criminal activity (gambling, weapons, controlled substances). Deputies noted seized birds may need to be housed as evidence, creating resource demands on animal services. The sheriff urged code changes to align limits with neighboring counties and to add clearer enforcement language.

The division also reported an increase in complaints about occupants living in trailers placed after the 2020 fires. Temporary trailer permits issued after the fires allowed one‑year occupancy while rebuilding; staff said some occupants have stayed longer or new property owners moved in without addressing outstanding violations. To address this, staff will launch education before August 1 and begin enforcement October 1, 2025, timed with expiration of fire‑related fee waivers.

Reverse‑osmosis systems (used by some wineries and other operations) were flagged as an enforcement and regulatory gap. Staff said RO units can both increase on‑site water use (because RO processes often produce concentrated reject water) and generate a saline or chemically concentrated discharge that currently lacks clear permitting or disposal pathways in county code. PBS staff said updates to Title 13 (groundwater and related rules) are underway and that the code update should include RO systems and establish monitoring and disposal requirements.

The division outlined other near‑term enforcement steps: implement a Neighborhood Property Improvement program focused on trailer habitation, continue outreach and education for the reusable foodware ordinance (effective Jan. 1, 2026), and pursue policy referrals from the Board on rooster limits, home‑purchase disclosures and Title 13 updates for reverse‑osmosis and groundwater reporting. Staff asked for more coordination with the Agricultural Commissioner on legitimate poultry operations, and with the Sheriff to ensure safe investigations of suspected criminal activity.

Supervisors praised staff for the work but pressed for clearer public materials to reduce “buyer beware” disputes when people purchase properties with undisclosed code problems. Supervisors asked for return reports on: (1) a possible county‑city‑realtor outreach program to ensure better disclosure of code violations to prospective purchasers, (2) a coordinated approach to temporary trailer occupancy after the 2020 fires, (3) Title 13 updates to regulate reverse‑osmosis use and discharge, and (4) a revision of the county’s rooster ordinance with input from the Agricultural Commissioner and the Sheriff.

Code compliance staff said they will return with proposals and said the division will emphasize education before enforcement on new rules such as the reusable foodware ordinance. The board did not take any enforcement votes during the update; staff said cases continue to be handled individually under existing code and enforcement policies.