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Stanwood moves to tighten property-maintenance rules and pursue nuisance enforcement
Summary
Across 2025 meetings Stanwood’s council repeatedly discussed nuisance properties, directed staff to send violation notices and in December approved first readings of Ordinance 248 (property maintenance) and Ordinance 249 (written-notice provisions). The council also discussed inspection services and pending court action on nuisance cleanup.
Stanwood — Over the course of 2025 the Stanwood City Council repeatedly raised nuisance-property issues and moved in December to add a formal property-maintenance chapter to the city code.
Council minutes from meetings throughout the year record repeated action: the clerk was directed to send nuisance letters to specific properties and to follow up with the city attorney; the city received external guidance on nuisance programs (ECIA presentation in March) and discussed possible inspection services and a workshop to consider inspection options.
At the Dec. 8, 2025 meeting the council opened public hearings and approved the first reading of Ordinance 248 (adding Chapter 157, Property Maintenance) and the first reading of Ordinance 249 (amending written-notice provisions in Section 92.07). The public hearings produced no written or oral objections in the minutes. Council also discussed pending court cases tied to nuisance notices and a proposed change to notice and fine implementation timing in the code.
The record shows individual residents raised concerns at several meetings — for example, a Nov. 10 attendee, Jeff Freeman, told the council he was considering legal action over city nuisance cleanup policy — but the minutes do not record extended public debate or any council vote to rescind enforcement steps. Council direction across multiple meetings emphasized sending notices and pursuing legal follow-up when properties did not comply.
The minutes do not list fines, enforcement deadlines, or the full text of the proposed Chapter 157; those details will be set out in the ordinance text and any implementing resolutions. Residents seeking specifics on prohibited conditions, timelines for compliance, or fine schedules should consult the ordinance text once published or contact City Hall.
