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Residents press county over pallet-yard stacking, say stacks pose fire risk
Summary
Several Sun Valley residents told the Citizens Advisory Board that pallet yards stacking wood pallets near homes create a continuous fuel source and heighten wildfire and structural-fire risk; officials said fire prevention and code processes are engaged but enforcement is constrained by existing rules and grandfathering.
At the Sun Valley Citizens Advisory Board meeting, residents from Sun Valley described ongoing safety concerns about pallet yards and warehouse properties stacking pallets near residences and easements. “The pallet company out here in Sun Valley is out of control,” resident Steve Malone said, recounting a fire in the area and saying the stacks now reach multiple stories and sit close to neighbors’ homes.
Multiple residents said they have filed complaints with code enforcement, the fire department and the sheriff’s office but have seen limited enforcement outcomes. “We have complaints, we get fines in the mail, but nothing changes,” one resident said.
Division Chief Joe Shum of Fire and Rescue acknowledged the community’s concerns, said the fire-prevention division is aware of incidents at the sites and described processes that can lead to fines or charges if negligence is found. Shum said some structural and operational conditions are subject to existing code and grandfathering provisions, and that the department must follow legal processes when enforcing building and storage standards.
Residents pressed for clearer remedies and faster action; one said property owners had told officials that stacked pallets would be reduced from 20 feet to 10–12 feet and placed off property lines, but neighbors disputed the claim about property-line locations and asked for stronger enforcement. The board discussed exploring county code changes and zoning questions as a pathway to limit stacking in residential-adjacent areas.
Fire officials also reiterated standard defensible-space and yard-maintenance advice to reduce spread risk for residential properties. The board did not adopt an immediate enforcement motion but agreed to follow up with code enforcement and county staff to explore next steps.
The exchange underscored residents’ frustration with enforcement timelines and the complexity of addressing industrial storage on the edges of residential neighborhoods.
