Washoe County hearing: resident seeks permit reinstatement, alleges fraud and selective enforcement

Jonathan Belfort told a Washoe County administrative hearing on Nov. 19 that he completed significant work on his property and asked that the county reinstate two remaining building-permit extensions, citing pandemic-related stays and other “extenuating circumstances.” The hearing officer admitted Belfort’s 13 exhibits into the record and said an order noting code violations will be issued.

Belfort, the respondent in code-enforcement case WCAH2025-000045 (WVIOPLA24-0100), said his permits were approved on Nov. 28, 2019, and that COVID-19 emergency orders tolled statutory deadlines, leaving him effectively in a multi-year extension period. He told the hearing he spent “in excess of $30,000 plus” on materials and later estimated the work’s current replacement cost at roughly $80,000–$90,000. “I mounted to my allegations now of racketeering involving Washoe County employees,” Belfort said, asserting he has submitted evidence to prosecutors and filed federal suits and a quiet-title…