Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Code Enforcement topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Code-enforcement report shows enforcement volume, vacancy counts and next steps on rental inspections
Summary
Planning and development review staff reported 2025 enforcement activity—about 7,300 new code cases, ~4,300 Notices of Violation, and 622 vacant buildings (October 2025)—and discussed timelines for remediation, court summonses for noncompliance, and plans to integrate 311 with permitting systems for better public tracking.
City code-enforcement staff presented the department’s property-maintenance activity for 2025 and fielded council questions about timelines, tenant protections and outreach.
Kevin Jaybonk, director of Planning and Development Review, said the Property Maintenance and Code Enforcement (PMCE) division opened about 7,300 new cases last year and issued approximately 4,300 Notices of Violation (NOVs), including about 1,300 defective-maintenance NOVs, ~2,500 environmental NOVs and ~415 unsafe-structure NOVs. Staff reported 622 vacant buildings on the city list as of October 2025 and said contractors performed abatement work at more than 100 properties; the city incurred roughly $35,000 in contractor costs that are assessed to property owners.
Russell Williams, PMCE program operations manager, described the enforcement approach: most cases are complaint-driven (staff estimated over 90% originate through 311), inspectors document violations with city photos and timestamps (city photos are required as evidence for court), and staff use extensions and summons/court processes where property owners do not show progress. Williams said some standard response timelines exist (vegetation: 48 hours; defective maintenance: 14 days; certain unsafe conditions: 7 days), but staff exercise case-by-case discretion based on severity and the owner’s demonstrated effort.
Council members asked about proactive inspections, the effect of enforcement on rents and displacement risk, and how complaint tracking will be improved with systems integration. Staff said they are implementing new software to better connect 311 and permitting records (EnerGov) and plan to update the Good Neighbor Guide in English and Spanish to improve public outreach. The committee thanked staff for the report and discussed using enforcement data to inform rental-inspection district planning and other housing policies.
