Since stepping up its code enforcement program about a month ago, Missouri City has been citing property owners who break any of six certain code violations directly to court.
From May 18 to June 20, inspectors with the city’s code enforcement division issued 170 direct citations to court.
City Planning Director Ornita Green said the purpose of the sweep is to maintain property values.
“We have stepped up our efforts to carry out the code enforcement program so that we can keep all our neighborhoods looking their best and protect property values in Missouri City,” Green said. “More than nine months have passed since Hurricane Ike hit the region, so we are eager to have all subdivisions restored to their condition before the storm. While we appreciate the majority of citizens complying with our code enforcement initiatives, there are still outstanding violations that need to be addressed.”
Citations to court have been issued for the following:
- 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) – 81
- Junked or abandoned vehicles – 35
- Vehicles parked on grass – 7
- Overgrown grass (grass or weeds higher than nine inches)- 9
- Storm damaged structures, including hurricane-damaged buildings and downed fences- 30(23 – Fences, 7 – buildings)
- Unsanitary pools that have not been properly maintained- 8
At the direction of city council, inspectors issue citations when they find homes exhibiting any of the listed violations.
Additionally, property owners who are found to have repeated a code violation of any kind within a 12-month period can also receive a direct citation to court for those violations.
For major storm-damaged structures that are still in disrepair, homeowners will be cited directly to court unless they can provide documentation outlining sufficient reasons repairs have not been completed. Residents can contact the code enforcement division at 281-403-8500 to provide documentation.
“Missouri City was honored as one of ‘America’s Best Places to Live’ and we want to help property owners maintain their homes in a manner which makes all of us proud to live in the city,” Green said. “By intensifying our code enforcement efforts, we are fulfilling our mission to keep Missouri City clean and safe for all of our citizens.”
The maximum fine for the code violations is $500 per occurrence of each violation except for the junked vehicle violation, which carries a maximum fine of $200. A code violation that has not been corrected can be issued a citation to court daily.
Code sweeps are continuing throughout the Missouri City.
Notice is provided to residents when code enforcement inspectors will be in their neighborhoods.
In addition to the stepped-up program, the code enforcement division responds to any code issues reported throughout the city on an ongoing basis.
