FortBendNow.com

Missouri City is reminding property owners that starting next Monday, they may be cited directly to court if they violate any of six designated housing codes.

Effective May 18, inspectors with the city’s Code Enforcement Division will begin issuing citations to court when they observe homes with:

-         Grass or weeds higher than nine inches;

-          Junked or abandoned vehicles, including those that have been inoperable for 72 consecutive hours and those with expired license plates or inspection stickers;

-         Trash or debris piled in the yard or street, trash containers left out before or after designated times for trash collection, or trash containers that are left visible from a public or private roadway (outside of times for trash pick up);

-         Vehicles parked on grass;

-         Storm-damaged structures, including downed fences;

-         Pools that have not been properly maintained.

Director of Planning Ornita Green said the code enforcement program is being stepped up at the direction of the city council so neighborhoods will be maintained in a manner that makes all residents proud to live in Missouri City.

“It has been more than seven months since Hurricane Ike passed through the city, but there are still outstanding code violations that must be addressed,” Green said. “To protect property values and to keep our city as safe and clean as possible, we urge residents to comply with our code enforcement program.”  

Homeowners with damaged roofs or other major storm-damaged structures still in disrepair will be cited directly to court unless they can provide documentation outlining sufficient reasons why repairs have not been completed. The city’s Code Enforcement Division should receive this documentation prior to May 18.

In addition, property owners who are found to have a repeated code violation of any kind within a 12-month period can also receive a court citation for those violations.

The maximum fine for a code violation is $500 per occurrence.  A code violation that has not been corrected can be issued a citation to court daily.