Why do we need Code Enforcement?

If enforcement is so hard why should small cities (or anyone for that matter) bother enforcing code at all?” It’s a fair question. The answer lies in the fundamental elements of community vision and planning to become the community its leaders and residents have always wanted.

Without a municipal code, and subsequent code enforcement and compliance measures, the general plan lacks the teeth required to attain the community’s vision. Code enforcement is part of the equation that transforms a town from a politically designated area into the ideal community.1

Community vision statements often declare the importance of maintaining their rural atmosphere while remaining family friendly, economically healthy, and safe. Codes help realize each of these goals through:

“Code compliance is recognized as a key component of fighting public health threats like Zika virus by reducing standing water from old tires or broken down vehicles to eliminate breeding habitat for mosquitos and other disease carrying pests.”

  1. Improved land values

  2. Decreased numbers of attractive nuisances (attractive nuisances are objects that are hazardous and likely to attract children. Landowners have a responsibility to remove or adequately fence/protect the hazard to protect children from potential injuries)

  3. Improved safety

  4. Increased sense of community

  5. Improved public image

  6. Improved quality of life

  7. Reduced health threats

  8. Increased likelihood of economic development

It takes more than one of these benefits to convince leaders to start enforcing their code, and in some cases philosophical understandings of property rights have to be addressed before enforcement measures will even be considered. Still, with the right approach, leadership can find ways to create an enforcement program that satisfies both the community and the neighbors.

Appendix

  1.  Daniels et al. “The Small Town Planning Handbook Third Edition.” American Planning Association Planners Press. Chicago, IL. 2007. [KS1] 

  2. Bracco, Frank. “An Incremental Approach to Improving Code Enforcement and Compliance in Clayton County, GA.” Carl Vinson Institute of Government. 2010.

  3. Ibid.

  4. City Auditor’s Office. “Performance Audit Neighborhood Preservation Division.” City of Auditor’s Office of the City of Kansas City, MO. September 2012. 

  5. Bracco, Frank. “An Incremental Approach to Improving Code Enforcement and Compliance in Clayton County, GA.” Carl Vinson Institute of Government. 2010.

George Stewart