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Solvang council adopts updated fee schedule, adds fines for code violations
Summary
The council adopted Resolution 26-13-25 to add infraction and misdemeanor fines to the city's master fee schedule and raised the per-page copy fee from $0.10 to $0.25; the vote on the resolution was recorded as unanimous.
The Solvang City Council on July 13 adopted a revised city fee schedule that adds specified fines for infractions and misdemeanors and increases the per-page copy fee from $0.10 to $0.25.
Staff planner Wendy Merritt told the council the changes would align the master fee schedule with California Government Code limits and add a clear penalty structure under the city’s code enforcement section. Under the resolution, infraction fines would escalate to $100 for a first violation, $200 for a second violation within one year, and $500 for additional violations within one year. Repeat offenses by commercial properties for visible refuse or unauthorized use could carry fines up to $2,500 within two years of the first violation. Short-term rental infractions would start at $1,500 for a first offense, rising to $3,000 and $5,000 for subsequent violations within a year.
City attorney Chelsea O’Sullivan said the ordinance and the fee schedule conform to the limits in state law. She also clarified that while the city can charge a per-copy fee for physical record copies under the California Public Records Act, staff time to locate records generally cannot be charged to requesters under state law.
City manager Randy Murphy noted legislation under consideration at the state level (identified in the meeting as AB 1821) that would address recovery of costs for malicious or commercial uses of public records; he said the council may have additional options in the future if that bill advances.
Council members asked about the rolling one-year window for repeat violations and staff confirmed the sequence is measured as a 12-month rolling period from the first violation, not a calendar year. The council adopted the resolution by roll-call vote as presented.
The fee schedule will be posted on the city website and enforcement will be administered by the city’s code compliance and relevant departments. The staff report and adopted resolution specify the sections of the municipal code that reference infractions and misdemeanors.
