Appeals board upholds notice for two Fresno properties, grants 30 days to fix remaining siding issue

The Fresno Building Standards Appeals Board on June 2 confirmed a notice and order in full for two properties — listed in the appeal packet as 222220 North Weber Avenue and 1827 West Clinton Avenue — and granted a 30-day period for the owners to repair outstanding violations, chiefly siding work that lacks final permits and inspections.

City staff told the board that inspectors opened the case on April 2 after observing unpermitted construction, and the notice and order was posted April 9. The packet documents seven violations, with photographs and permit-record searches supporting the inspector's findings. "Violation number 1 is that the exterior siding was replaced without the required plans, permits, and inspections," staff said; staff reported that most of the other violations (including noncompliant fencing and a hazardous tree) had since been corrected, but the siding remained unfinaled.

Appellant counsel Ryan Port said six of the seven items had been corrected quickly and asked the board to narrow the order to the remaining siding issue and to allow a 60-day compliance schedule to finalize permits and inspections. He also told the board that an inspector had offered a 30-day extension only on condition that the appellants withdraw their appeal; Port said he was not aware of a rule requiring waiver of appeal rights to obtain a short extension and called the condition unreasonable.

City staff responded that the inspector's email on file allowed conditional extensions but flagged the emergency-egress fencing issue as a safety concern and explained the city's need to ensure progress does not stall. Staff cited Fresno Municipal Code procedures governing notices, proof of service and the 30-day repair order timeline.

During deliberations board members and staff reviewed Fresno Municipal Code chapter 1, article 4 (section 1409) and agreed that the board's authority for an initial compliance period is limited to 30 days under the municipal code; further progress can be reviewed at a subsequent progress hearing. One board member moved to confirm the notice in full and to order a 30-day compliance period for remaining corrections; the motion was seconded and carried.

Why it matters: staff and appellants agreed that most health-and-safety items were corrected promptly; the confirmed notice and 30-day order preserve municipal enforcement authority for the remaining unfinaled siding work while providing a short compliance window.

Next step: the board confirmed the notice and ordered corrective work within 30 days; staff will verify permit finalization and inspections or return the matter to the board.