►
Description
On May 30, 2017, the Arlington County Board held a Work Session on Code Enforcement. Construction Codes Manager Gary Greene explained how Code Enforcement works in Arlington
A
A
Little
bit
about
who
we
are
something
unusual
for
the
day
is
I've
got
the
code
enforcement
section
here
with
me,
I'm,
going
to
ask
them
to
stand,
it's
actually
very
rare
for
them
to
all
be
in
the
same
place
at
the
same
time,
but
I
want
to
take
the
opportunity
just
so
that
you
can
just
look
at
them
one
time.
Thank
you
very
much.
You
may
be
seated
I'm,
particularly
proud
of
this
group
who
off
work
silently
with
little
recognition
or
thanks.
The
work
is
complex.
A
It's
our
job
and
this
again
may
be
the
very
first
time
that
many
of
you
have
ever
seen
them
together,
they're
not
going
to
show
up
on
a
website
on
a
poster
but
they're
working
kind
of
silently
in
the
background
to
get
work
done
a
bit
about
the
code
enforcement
section
itself.
As
you
can
see
from
the
diagram,
we
sit
in
the
Inspection
services
division.
It's
part
of
tphd
Community,
Planning
and
Housing
Development
Development
Department.
A
Zoning
is
another
agency
that
is
part
of
that
agency.
We
work
very
closely.
Zoning
has
a
separate
enforcement
unit
that
I'll
talk
about
in
a
little
bit
of
detail.
A
little
later
on,
the
group
that
I
just
had
stand
has
opposed
an
administrative
or
technical
and
a
technical
support
staff,
so
the
administrative
staff
would
support
the
building
of
cases,
the
answering
the
phones,
processing
of
documents,
helping
with
court
case
and
the
administration
of
an
elevator
program
that
has
recently
been
added
to
the
to
the
unit.
A
The
eight
inspectors
actually
report
to
to
code
enforcement
supervisors
that
work
in
a
technical
team
a
little
bit
of
information
here.
All
14
of
the
inspectors
have
some
form
of
certification,
the
inspections,
the
field
inspectors
have
an
ICC
certification.
That's
the
International
Code
Council
certification
as
housing
and
property
maintenance
inspectors.
A
They
also
are
certified
by
the
Department,
the
Junior
Department
of
Housing
and
Community
Development
as
building
maintenance
inspectors.
That
certification
is
maintained
through
the
Virginia
Building
Code
Academy
Jack
Proctor,
building
code
Academy
out
of
Richmond.
They
are
all
FEMA
certified
in
disaster,
inspection
specialties
and
they
are
certified
recently,
since
we
adopted
the
noise
control
ordinance
and
noise
enforcement
through
Workers
University
I'll
provide
more
information
about
that
as
we
go
for
it.
Two
of
our
staff
members,
our
Department
of
Housing
and
Community
Development
state
certified
code
Academy
instructors.
A
It's
actually
rare,
given
the
size
of
our
unit,
that
two
of
the
staff
would
actually
be
carrying
that
type
of
weight
with
them
and
50%
of
the
staff
are
multilingual.
They
speak
eight
languages
from
Tagalog,
Spanish,
sign
language,
Portuguese,
Vietnamese,
Arabic,
French,
German
and
Italian.
That's
helped
us
to
be
able
to
communicate
effectively
with
our
constituents
and
actually
to
be
able
to
be
culturally
sensitive,
important.
A
Considering
how
Arlington
has
grown
and
developed.
We
do
a
lot
of
work
primarily
with
the
zoning
enforcement
unit.
We
work
with
a
number
of
other
agencies,
including
fire
police,
the
County
Attorney's
Office,
which
we
meet
with
bi-weekly
the
Commonwealth
Attorney
Department
of
Human
Services,
as
it
would
relate
to
the
organizations
or
the
help
that
we
would
need
to
provide
to
citizens
that
are
in
special
need.
Those
relationships
have
helped
us
to
be
very
effective
at
our
work
in
the
community
more
to
come
a.
A
Little
bit
about
our
legal
authority
on
the
left
is
a
kind
of
a
bar
that
shows
the
types
of
laws
that
might
affect
code
enforcement
activity,
the
red
being
federal
laws
of
the
constitutional
requirements
that
we
have
to
be
sensitized
to.
First
and
fourth,
amendment
are
primarily
concerns
the
the
issues
of
free
speech
and
the
protection
against
unreasonable
search
come
into
play
here,
but
any
of
the
other
federal
standards
that
are
highly
restrictive
are
those
that
we're
trained
in,
and
we
meet
quite
often
to
make
sure
that
we
don't
breach
any
of
those
requirements.
A
Above
that
are
the
state
codes
or
laws
that
are
put
in
place
specifically
for
us,
the
Virginia,
uniform,
statewide,
Building
Code
and
the
Virginia
maintenance
code.
I'll
explain
a
little
bit
about
that,
and
this
Authority
is
actually
for
us
highlighted
in
orange.
The
Virginia
maintenance
code
is
a
subsection
of
the
statewide
Building
Code.
A
The
local
ordinances
that
may
be
adopted
by
this
board
once
in
power
through
Dillon
rule
involves
these
five
ordinances
that
you
see
in
orange
here.
The
condition
of
private
property
ordinance,
which
is
in
part
chapter
10
of
the
archon
county
code,
deals
with
public
nuisances
like
grass
trash
overgrowth
vehicles,
other
types
of
nuisances
that
would
be
addressed
in
the
community.
The
noise
control
ordinance,
which
was
adopted
in
2014,
which
we
revamped,
which
we
revamped
in
2014
when
it
was
initially
adopted
in
the
70s.
A
A
Tool
to
address
spotlighting
influences
in
the
community
adopted
in
2003
Building
Standards,
which
actually
deal
with
the
authority
by
which
we
do
maintenance
inspections.
The
state
enables
us
to
have
a
maintenance
ordinance
locally
and
when
the
county
adopted,
it
was
actually
planted
in
the
building
maintenance
standards
in
the
building
standards,
which
deals
with
a
number
of
different
act.
Different
things
related
to
housing
and
housing.
Related
enforcement.
A
We
in
2007
realigned
enforcement
activities
and
separated
the
responsibilities
for
zoning
enforcement
out
of
the
unit.
If
you
think
about
the
alignment
of
it.
The
zoning
enforcement
group,
which
is
a
very
specialized
group
of
inspections,
focusing
on
use,
would
actually
report
to
the
Zoning
Administrator
and
any
appeals
or
actions
for
relief
would
actually
go
to
the
Board
of
Zoning
Appeals
different
than
the
building
code
or
maintenance
code
violations
that
might
be
addressed
by
our
staff,
which
would
go
to
a
local
board
of
building
appeals
and
then
to
the
state
Virginia
Technical
Review
Board
for
relief.
A
So
there
is
an
appropriate
alignment
to
pull
out
a
number
of
inspectors
and
focus
on
the
specialized
work
of
Zoning,
and
this
has
been
something
that
has
worked
very
well.
They've
been
reporting
to
a
low
vivan,
the
Zoning
Administrator.
On
these
specific
issues
you
see
now
the
site-specific
ordinances
such
as
those
that
come
before
the
board
relative
to
variances
use,
permits
and
site
plan
conditions.
A
There's
a
high
level
of
interest
in
the
component
in
the
community
as
those
ordinances
are
grafted
and
drafted,
and
and
there's
a
lot
of
input
by
the
community
and
concern
about
the
enforcement
of
those
issues.
Little
diff
and
some
of
the
weightier
issues
that
might
be
coming
from
the
state
adopted
ordinances
like
the
state
adopted
codes
like
the
maintenance
color
of
the
building
code,
the
zoning
ordinances
again,
another
big
ordinance
that
is
given
by
state
authority
that
would
allow
for
the
enforcement
of
those
land
use
standards
throughout
the
county.
We
having
one
clarifying.
B
Question
every
question:
I'm
trying
to
understand
the
distinction
between
code
enforcement
and
zoning
enforcement,
and
you
mentioned
that
zoning
enforcement
focuses
on
use.
So
is
it
right?
Would
it
be
roughly
the
correct
breakdown
sort
of
use
versus
form
some
some
challenge
with
the
form
of
the
building
art,
yeah.
A
B
B
A
If
it
helps
I
was
on
my
way
there.
Thank
you.
Thank
you,
Miss
crystal
okay,
just
walking
through,
although
we
work
closely,
there
are
some
differences.
So
let's
look
at
what
they
are
code
enforcement
focuses
on
structures
and
conditions
of
property.
Zonings
is
lion.
Youth
concerns
the
appeal
that
I
just
mentioned
and
how
we
appeal
is
mentioned
in
the
next
line.
A
You
can
see
that
the
code
enforcement
activities
would
focus
on
building
safety
and
Zoning
activities
were
both
focused
on
some
of
the
building
uses,
all
the
restrictions
that
are
associated
with
that
information
about
how
we
differ
the
average
code
enforcement
case.
From
the
time
we
identify
a
violation
to
the
average
time
we
closed.
It
is
about
47
days,
as
reported
by
zoning.
The
average
closure
on
a
case
is
33
days.
Notices
are
issued
upon
verification
of
a
violation.
Okay,
verbal
warnings
are
issued
with
zoning,
and
then
those
collisions
are
documented.
A
The
criminal
and
then
civil
process
is
the
path
that
we
choose
for
code
enforcement
cases.
State
law
would
power
us
to
deal
with
these
issues
and
in
a
way
of
a
criminal
misdemeanor,
with
some
civil
remedies
that
are
in
place
where,
as
zoning
focus
is
more
civil
that
can
turn
to
criminal,
for
example,
if
they
issue
civil
infractions,
when
those
numbers
reach
up
to
$5,000,
then
they're
empowered
to
proceed
as
a
criminal
activity
or
the
criminal
action
in
the
court.
A
The
proofs
are
significant,
and
this
is
important,
especially
when
constituents
say
hey
I've
got
some
pictures
I'd
like
to
give
to
you
to
build
your
case.
Our
proofs
are
beyond
a
reasonable
doubt,
so
the
rules
of
evidence
supply
very
very
strongly.
In
our
case,
we
have
to
acquire
the
information.
We
must
witness
the
violation
when
it's
complied.
We
must
witness
that
it
is
complied
and
corrected,
whereas
the
zoning
cases,
because
they're
civil
in
nature,
can
work
on
the
preponderance
of
the
evidence.
A
The
weight
of
the
evidence
search
warrants
are
required
in
both
cases,
which
goes
back
to
those
federal
standards
and
the
protections
that
would
be
in
place
to
make
sure
that
there
is
no
unreasonable
searches.
That
would
take
place
a
little
bit
about
our
workload.
It's
been
some
misnomer
that
we're
a
bit
of
a
complaint
agency
and
I
wanted
to
illustrate
some
of
the
activity.
A
This
is
just
the
enforcement
workload
for
code
enforcement
and
we're
showing
the
numbers,
as
you
can
see,
in
the
bar
graph
from
the
years
2013
to
2016,
and
we
average
somewhere
around
3,000
cases
a
year.
But
it's
important
to
note,
as
you
can
see
in
this
bar
graph
and
the
orange,
that
the
complaints
which
are
highlighted
hover
somewhere
around
23%
of
our
vehicles
around
600
cases
a
year
so
where
there
did
some
concerns
in
the
community.
A
It's
needed
to
know
here
know
needed
to
note
here
that
mostly
our
cases
are
proactively
acquired
and
when
I
say
proactively.
That
means
that
the
work
is
either
programmed
or
periodic
from
an
earlier
slide.
It
was
an
elevator
program
that
was
in
place,
and
one
of
the
important
issues
with
the
elevator
inspection
program
is
that
that
work
is
periodic
as
a
pushpin.
The
work
is
when
you
get
in
an
elevator,
and
you
see
a
certificate
in
place,
that
certificate
says
that
that
equipment
is
safe
to
use
that
cyclical
inspection
is
periodic
inspection.
A
It's
not
generated
by
a
complaint.
The
surveys
that
we
do
of
the
community
to
make
sure
that
the
service
that
we're
providing
throughout
the
county
is
equitable,
is
actually
programmed
again.
It's
not
driven
by
a
complaint,
but
to
see
the
the
changes
in
the
workload.
Any
thing
that's
in
the
blue
bar
is
proactive
programmed
or
periodic
in
nature.
The
complaints
are
listed
below
that.
A
There's
been
some
concern
about,
you
know,
unsafe
properties
in
the
community.
We've
heard
a
lot
of
information
relative
to
that
in
chapter
36,
105
C
of
the
Code
of
Virginia
empowers
our
staff
to
monitor
existing
buildings
for
compliance
with
code
under
which
it
was
approved
and
certified
for
occupancy.
So
there's
been
this
misconception
that
there's
a
significant
amount
of
unsafe
properties
in
the
county.
A
Our
staff
are
involved
in
code
enforcement,
Elementor
and
the
code
development
will
go
to
hearings
to
make
sure
that
whatever
might
be
adopted
either
in
in
international
settings
or
out
down
in
Richmond
at
the
state
level.
Technical
amendments
that
the
state
may
add
won't
be
something
that
we
can't
live
with
here
in
Arlington.
The
intensive
service
training
that's
required
in
codes
is
part
of
the
it's
built
into
the
schedule
of
work
that
staff
have
to
do.
A
They
spend
5%
of
their
work
week
in
training
and
service
training
and
in
team
meetings
trying
to
improve
the
service
and
align
our
protocols
so
that
we
can
ensure
that
what
we're
doing
is
illegal
and
in
authorizing
a
fair
and
equitable
process,
certainly
as
it
relates
to
enforcement
protocols.
We're
meeting
with
the
comm
the
Commonwealth's
Attorney,
often
on
our
cases
and
with
the
county
attorney
County
Attorney
on
a
bi-weekly
basis.
A
Enforcement
importantly
is
comprehensive.
That
means
that
when
we
go
to
a
property,
we're
addressing
the
codes
that
are
within
our
purview,
it's
not
a
myopic
view.
If
we're
going
to
look
at
something,
that's
a
very
small,
minor
thing
and
we
see
a
bigger
major
issue
that
needs
to
be
addressed.
We'll
address
it
at
the
time,
so
that
a
property
owner
receives
a
comprehensive
list,
a
list
of
things
that
need
to
be
corrected.
A
The
importance
of
that
is,
if
we
don't
do
it
that
way,
and
we
have
to
go
back
to
the
property,
to
address
something
significant.
The
property
owner
might
feel
that
that's
retaliatory
or
that's
a
piling
on
so
by
addressing
what
we
can
see
as
completely
as
we
can
the
very
first
time
that
gives
an
opportunity
for
a
property
owner
to
plan
out
a
plan
of
compliance,
how
they
get
there.
A
It's
a
legal
process
so
we're
bound
by
the
due
process
of
law.
That
would
make
sure
that
we're
following
through
we're
serving
providing
service.
The
notices
are
going
to
the
correct
parties.
If
it's
a
corporation
it
served
the
way
a
corporation
should
be
serviced.
It's
a
trust.
It
served
the
way
a
trust
should
be
served
in
notices,
typically
go
to
the
property
owner
with
some
exceptions.
Staff
are
informative,
respectful
equitable,
and
this
is
the
the
part
some
may
not
get
right
away
from
code
enforcement
has
an
element
that
deals
with
enforcement.
A
No
one
likes
the
enforcement
component,
but
it's
required
in
order
to
pull
people
into
compliance
investigations.
As
I
said
earlier,
our
proactive
periodic
programmed,
but
in
some
cases
they're
triggered
by
complaints
and
complaints.
Complainants
when
contacting
us
are
asked
to
give
information
and
a
detail
of
the
best
way
to
reach
out
to
us
is
by
calling
it
a
set.
A
number
that's
existed
for
over
40
years,
seven,
zero.
A
Three,
two,
two
eight
three,
two
three
two:
if
you
grab
an
old
phone
book,
you'll
actually
see
it
in
there
even
back
when
code
enforcement
was
part
of
the
county
manager's
office.
But
by
calling
us
you
actually
get
a
dynamic
conversation.
We
don't
reveal
names.
So
if
someone
is
concerned
that
by
asking
who
you
are
we're
trying
to
get
information,
we're
actually
trying
to
make
sure
that
if
the
inspector
needs
additional
information
to
quickly
close
the
case,
they'll
be
able
to
reach
out
and
touch
and
get
that
information
so
that
compliance
is
timely.
A
There.
It's
not
been
a
case
in
the
16
years
that
I've
been
here
ever
where
we
have
revealed
names
or
where
the
court
has
ordered.
That
names
has
been,
would
need
to
be
revealed.
Enforcement.
A
separate
action
from
notice
is
actually
triggered
by
failure
to
comply
with
a
written
notice
that
we
send
or
issue
to
and
honor.
Our
focus
again
is
on
safe
occupancies.
That's
a
that's
really
important
for
us
a
little
bit
quickly
about
the
investigation
process,
other
than
being
triggered
by
a
complaint.
An
investigation
is
research
into
the
case.
A
We're
looking
at
the
records
to
figure
out
what
has
happened
at
the
property,
we'll
then
go
to
the
property
and
do
an
inspection
and
we'll
attempt
to
validate
the
conditions
that
we
have
found
as
a
violation
or
not
we'll
provide
notice,
written
notice,
it's
always
written
notice
from
the
code
enforcement
group
and
then
that
notice.
It
gives
you
some
information
about
the
property.
Why
we
were
there.
We
were
there
conducting
an
inspection.
A
What
rights
you
have
as
a
an
owner
or
recipient
of
a
violation
notice,
and
some
of
them
are
important
like
the
right
to
an
extension.
If
you
need
more
time-
and
you
can
substantiate
the
need,
there's
a
process
by
which
you
can
submit
that
request
to
us
and
we'll
consider
it
the
need
to
have
an
appeal,
if
you
feel
like
the
code
is
being
misapplied,
it
doesn't
apply,
I've
read
it
I've
reviewed
it.
A
You
have
the
right
to
have
that
heard
by
the
appropriate
board
so
that
we
are
presenting
our
case
and
you're
presenting
your
case
so
that
that
item
can
be
decided
at
the
state
level.
It's
the
State
Building
Code,
Building,
Code
local
building
code
board
of
Appeal
appeals,
excuse
me
and
which
leads
to
the
Technical
Review
Board,
which
then
can
lead
to
the
circuit
court.
There
is
a
path
of
action,
even
if
there's
disagreement,
there's
a
path
of
action.
A
It's
important
to
note
that
every
notice
has
got
that
information
and
the
time
by
which
Pearson's
should
apply
or
should
file
their
appeal.
We
then
wait
for
compliance.
We
give
typically
30
days
to
comply
again.
You
can
sometimes
get
more
if
you
can
substantiate
the
need
and
a
Rhian
spec
ssin
is
conducted
to
check
to
see
if
the
conditions
cited
have
been
corrected.
So
again,
to
see
the
condition
we
write
the
condition
we
have
to
see
witnesses
to
comply
it.
A
We
must
see
it
witnesses,
so
it's
important
that
property
owners
call
us
back
so
that
we
can
actually
see
that
the
conditions
are
corrected.
Otherwise,
we
couldn't
possibly
know
out
of
that
comes
either.
Compliance
or
enforcement
enforcement
is
highlighted
on
the
block
below,
and
it
includes
three
primary
tools.
One
is
court
summons,
which
we
use
most
often
on
the
criminal
cases,
on
the
cases
that
we
can
address.
This
criminal
misdemeanors
will
then
summons
the
property
owner
to
court
and
we're
then
working
with
the
Commonwealth
attorney
in
order
to
build
the
case.
Take
the
case
forward.
A
There's
a
review
by
supervisors
to
make
sure
the
service
was
appropriate
if
there
are
any
defects
in
the
case
at
all,
it
went
to
the
wrong
person.
Names
fell
wrong.
We
fix
or
cure
those
defects
in
the
vial
nation
and
go
back
to
the
point
where
there
were
no
defects,
resetting
sitting
everything
out
again
new,
giving
additional
time
if
it's
necessary,
giving
additional
notice
if
it's
necessary
to
make
sure
that
that
due
process
is
preserved.
A
In
some
cases,
we
have
the
ability
to
cure
the
violation
and
a
local
ordinance,
like
the
condition
of
private
property
ordinance,
gives
us
the
ability
to
go
back
and
cure
the
violation
or
to
provide
a
civil
infraction
one
of
the
benefits
of
curing
the
violation
is
we'll
correct
it.
The
property
owner
will
receive
a
bill
from
our
administrative
staff
and
then,
after
15
days,
that
bill
is
then
forwarded
to
a
collections
so
that
those
issues
can
be
collected
in
process
all
along.
A
The
way
documents
are
issued
by
certified
mail
to
make
sure
that
it
is
either
gone
to
someone
or
it's
been
signed
by
someone,
or
we
can
prove
our
attempts
at
service.
Lastly,
our
civil
infractions,
which
are
given
to
us
for
things
like
the
snow,
ordinance
or
the
condition
of
private
property
ordinance
which
allow
us
to
provide
a
small
fine,
it's
a
warning
and
then
after
10
days,
there's
$100,
fine
and
then
after
10
days
is
150
dollar
fine
for
condition
of
private
property.
A
B
A
Does
a
little
bit
about
what
we
do
if
there
are
two
initiatives
that
important
the
safe
occupancy
is
initiative
and
the
customer
service
initiatives?
Are
it
I
just
want
to
highlight
a
couple
of
different
things?
This
information
has
gotten
around
the
community
years
ago,
one
of
the
things
that
would
happened
after
one
of
the
issues
that
would
happen
after
a
fire
is
that
a
building
might
sit
for
a
period
of
time
before
the
conditions
got
arrested,
got
corrected.
A
What
we're
doing
is
we're
making
sure
that
they
understand
what
the
path
to
correction
is.
We
can
expedite
some
things
so
that
they
can
get
online
quicker,
but
what
we
found
is
that,
when
you're
dealing
with
an
insurance
company
right
after
you've
had
a
fire
can
be
a
bit
overwhelming.
So
why
giving
someone
a
notice
that
says
that
the
structure
that
you
live
in
has
some
Corrections
that
need
to
be
made?
A
That's
are
so
serious
that
you
can't
live
in
the
building,
then
that
notice
can
be
used
to
help
arouse
or
to
direct
someone
to
immediate
housing.
It
has
helped
the
insurance
agencies
to
be
able
to
understand
the
seriousness
of
it.
Some
corporate
office
out-of-state
all
of
a
sudden,
says
that
there's
an
unsafe
condition.
That's
occurring
at
one
of
their
insurers
home.
We
are
willing
to
have
dialog,
with
the
permission
of
the
homeowner
to
get
those
buildings
online
and
working
with
the
the
chief
building
official.
That's
been
something
that's
been
very
effective
in
the
community.
A
The
thank-yous
are
kind
of
quiet.
You
know
I
think
sometimes
there's
a
concern
when
people
will
see
it's
in
the
community
and
they
think
that
what
code
enforcement
is
going
to
place
me
and
I'll.
Well,
no,
it's
not
that
what
we're
trying
to
do
is
get
you
back
online.
We
want
to
make
sure
that
you're,
safe
living
in
the
building,
the
largest
growing
or
largest
trending
work
that
we
have
right
now,
actually
regionally
the
largest
amount
of
work
in
this
industry
related
to
code
enforcement.
Excuse
me
it's
unpermitted
construction
and
illegal
conversions
of
youth.
A
It's
you
know
it's
epidemic
right
now,
in
this
area,
great
schools
wonderful
place
to
live
low
crime.
People
want
to
be
here.
So
what
we've
seen
is
in
increasing
conversions
of
attics
and
garage
garages
and
spaces
and
offices
into
spaces
that
might
be
used
for
other
purposes
by
which
they
are
not
approved.
The
sad
effect
is
that,
if
there's
a
fire
in
those
buildings,
then
often
there
can
be
an
injury,
significant
or
loss
of
life,
because
they're
not
approved
to
be
used
that
way.
A
The
construction
methods
are
not
designed
that
they
views
are
not
designed
to
protect
the
fire
from
spreading
quickly.
So
we've
been
dealing
with
that.
We
worked
with
a
number
of
other
counties
here:
I'm
a
member
of
a
Northern
Virginia
code
officials
consortium
and
we
meet
actually
in
two
weeks
in
Loudoun
County,
to
discuss
the
impact
of
this
other
cities
that
have
Home
Rule
are
using
different
tools
to
try
and
get
to
finding
people
that
they
catch
doing
this
work
in
a
significant
way:
New
York
City,
for
example.
A
A
We've
had
people
climbing,
through
back
doors,
to
get
in
climbing
through
windows.
The
accumulation
is
so
expensive
that
it's
just
inches
below
a
ceiling
fan.
It
can
fall
on
them.
The
greatest
danger
is
to
our
first
responders
that
are
going
in
to
get
them.
There's
an
accumulation
or
an
excessive
amount
of
storage
that
builds
the
flame
load
or
the
fire
load
within
the
unit,
and
then
it
makes
it
so
that
it's
completely
unsafe
should
they
go
in,
and
materials
that
are
combustible
can
potentially
alight
and
fall.
A
As
an
aside,
I
can
remember
a
case
that
occurred
recently,
where
there's
so
much
accumulation
that,
as
we
were
cleaning
and
working
with
the
property
owner
to
clean
the
property,
an
extension
cord
was
moved
because
they
can't
get
to
the
receptacle.
So
what
they
do
is
they
run
extension
cords
through
the
flammable
material
and
then
plug
it
in,
and
we
can
see
how
the
how
the
extension
cord
had
scorched
against
the
wall.
It
was
an
accident
waiting
to
happen.
Our
timing
was
critical.
A
A
A
A
Zoning
handles
those
issues.
What
wrong
side
work?
Viet,
not
there's
a
number
of
issues,
and
it's
important
to
note
here
that
50
percent
of
the
people
that
call
us
are
calling
with
a
non
related
code
enforcement
call.
Now
the
late
night
shift
is
the
right
place,
but,
and
so
what
we've
got
is
somebody
that
I'll
just
start
with
you?
The
other
interesting
stat
that
I'd
like
to
share
with
you
is
that
one
third
of
those
calls
that
we
that
we
receive
calls
documents.
A
Emails,
faxes
are
someone
who's
already
angry
and
it's
challenging
because
we
have
to
try
and
walk
them
down
so
that
we
can
triage.
We
can
hear
the
issues.
Importantly
when
we
finally
get
down
to
the
issues.
We're
discovering
that
the
reason
why
they're
probably
angry
is
because
they
put
off
the
call
waiting
for
the
person
or
persons
or
businesses
that
were
doing
something
that
they
did
not
feel
was
effective
to
kind
of
move
on
and
correct
it
themselves.
A
See
if
we
can
move
on
a
little
bit,
some
of
the
challenges
to
our
work
and
the
biggest
challenges
people
that
wish
to
bypass
the
process.
Okay
code
enforcement
is
a
process,
so
there's
a
notice
portion
there's,
certainly
an
investigation.
There's
a
notice
portion,
there's
a
compliance
process,
there's
a
reinfection
process,
there's
an
enforcement
process
that
can
come
out
of
that
reinfection
and
no
one
likes
the
enforcement
process.
We've
seen
spikes
over
over
the
years
with
retaliatory
complaints,
but
did
back
in
the
2000
early
2000,
so
they
were
fairly
high
I,
don't
like
my
neighbors.
A
So
what
I
do
is
I
call
the
building
police,
the
property,
police
and
I
cite
conditions
and
I
push
really
hard
to
make
sure
that
you
deal
with
them.
I
want
to
know
what's
going
on
at
the
property.
The
opposite
side
of
that
is
that
you
know
things
have
quieted
down
over
time.
Our
response
in
training
to
staff
is
start
to
talk
about
issues
of
mediation.
If
you're
not
getting
along
with
neighbor
they're
tools
that
community
mediation
is
very
effective
and
it's
not
court,
you
don't
have
to
go
to
court
to
resolve
it.
A
But
if
the
issue
is
that
something
that
needs
to
be
addressed
by
us,
we're
certainly
going
to
address
that
anonymous
complaints,
persons
that
are
at
glass
houses,
throwing
rocks
and
sometimes
they're
giving
us
inappropriate,
addresses
just
drive
out
to
the
community
and
you'll
see
what
I'm
talking
about
and
unfortunately,
if
you're
anonymous.
We
may
not
know
that.
It's
you
that
have
a
greater
violation.
Then
the
person
you're
calling
about
that's
happened.
That's
an
unintended
consequence.
So
we
like
to
get
in
from
information
about
who's.
A
Calling
excuse
me
and
the
benefit
of
that
is
if
the
inspectors
need
additional
information,
for
example,
an
overcrowding
case.
Someone
believes
that
there
are
too
many
people
living
in
the
house.
Overcrowding
actually
under
the
zoning
definition
would
be
over
occupancy.
Maybe
too
many
unrelated
people
living
in
the
house.
What's
helpful
is
if
those
calls
come
in
and
they
often
do
come
in
to
code
enforcement.
We
were
able
to
get
the
information,
build
the
case
and
then
send
it
to
the
zoning
enforcement
groups,
so
that
they've
got
good,
sound
information
to
do
their
investigation.
A
If
they
just
knock
on
the
door
and
say
hey,
are
you
overcrowding
over
here
somebody
that
might
be
doing
it?
We
just
go
underground,
so
the
more
information
we
were
able
to
get
in
a
dynamic
way.
In
a
conversation,
the
more
effective
we
can
be
in
our
enforcement,
the
quicker
that
timeline
to
compliance
will
occur
if
there
is
indeed
a
violation,
it's
actually
very
rare
for
someone
to
be
able
to
have
too
many
people
in
a
building
based
on
the
square
footage
of
the
home,
which
is
what
we
deal
with
under
the
building
code.
A
Big
Disher
here
is
aggressive
citizens
case
filings
that
are
based
in
racism.
Bigotry
of
standing,
the
calls
are
sometimes
very
direct.
We
have
to
deal
with
all
citizens,
that's
anyone
who
will
call
us
at
any
time
with
any
issue
and
depending
on
their
level
of
anger
or
concern,
sometimes
they're
very
direct
about
what
their
position
is.
I,
don't
have
to
go
deep
into
the
details
of
what
you
put.
You
can
probably
imagine
your
mind,
but
people
will
speak
very
very
directly
and
then
say
what
they
don't
like
about
that
group.
A
Those
people
that
business,
whatever
the
case
is-
and
they
they're
bordering
right
on
the
line
actually
easily
defined
as
a
definition
of
discrimination.
Racism
and
what
we're
trying
to
do
is
make
sure
that
our
staff
focus
on
the
building
and
focus
on
the
issues
around
the
land
and
we'll
communicate
that
we'll
communicate.
That
expectation,
sometimes
even
after
a
complete
investigation.
If
we
find
that
there
is
no
violation.
There's
an
additional
dejenne
de
I
want
to
know
why
there
was
no
violation.
A
What
about
and
the
list
gets
longer
and
what
about
and
the
list
gets
even
longer,
so
we
can
sometimes
work
those
persons
that
are
driving
those
issues
down,
but
sometimes
those
issues
bubble
up
to
your
level
in
the
form
of
a
complain
about
arbitrary
enforcement
or
our
ability
not
to
bring
something
to
closer
I've
already
spoken
about.
The
non
related
calls
that
have
come
that
have
come
into
the
agency
and
those
that
might
be
contentious
to
us.
Let's
see
if
I
can
get
to
the
concerns
here.
A
So
some
of
the
chief
concerns
that
have
been
reported
to
us
relate
to
hoarding
are
unsafe
properties,
derelict
properties
that
are
in
the
community.
There's
been
a
concern
about
nighttime
noise
enforcement.
Now
we
deal
with
it
and
then
cyclical
property
concerns
that
are
often
brought
about
with
seasonal
issues
that
come
across.
A
So
if
the
question
is
what
is
the
derelict
property
and
we
want
to
define
it
a
little
bit
and
then
talk
about
some
of
the
concerns,
so
the
concerns
are
properties
that
are
unsafe,
that
is
declared
unfit
by
the
maintenance
code,
definitions,
buildings
that
might
be
vacant
again,
excluding
those
200,
so
properties
are
in
transferor
each
week
or
part
properties
that
have
stalled
compliance.
It
doesn't
seem
like
the
case
is
moving
again
if
I
point
out
that
our
compliance
on
average
is
47
days.
Some
are
almost
complied
immediately.
A
Others
have
taken
four
years
to
comply,
but
on
average
47
days
is
pretty
good
concerns.
The
time
line
is
long.
It
takes
a
long
time
to
get
code
enforcement
to
move
forward.
If
you
remember
that
a
survey
of
the
people
that
are
contacting
us
are
already
angry
and
in
some
cases
it's
because
they
waited
a
long
time
to
call
so
we're
adding
that
to
the
perception
in
their
mind
and
when
you
call
us
it's
the
first
time
we
heard
so
it's
important
for
us
to
tell
what
that
time
line
is
going
to
be.
A
That's
why
the
service
expectations
are
so
important.
There's
been
a
concern
about
additional
laws.
Do
we
need
additional
laws
to
be
effective
at
code
enforcement,
but
a
real
challenge
has
been
complex:
ownerships
unpervaded
estates,
parents
that
have
died,
our
trust
that
seemed
to
have
fizzled,
and
we
try
and
work
through
those
lines
to
see
if
we
can
get
the
correct
property
so
that
we
can
do
the
enforcement
that's
listed
here.
Court
enforcement
is
the
tool
that
has
worked
for
us
go
backwards
for
a
moment
in
2003
when
we
adopted
the
spotlight
ordinance.
A
The
key
is
that
we
had
117
properties
that
were
on
a
blight
list.
Mr.
visit
may
remember
it,
and
the
community
forwarded
those
properties
to
us
and
staff.
Added
to
that
list.
Three
properties
came
to
the
board.
114
properties
were
cured
with
old-fashioned
court
enforcement.
We
take
the
property
owners
to
court
and
enforce
the
minimum
minimum
standards.
Excuse
me
which
helped
them
to
bring
those
buildings
back
into
compliance.
What's
completely
legal
is
what
you
see
is
the
center
picture
here.
It's
a
building,
that's
boarded
up
a
property
owners.
A
Commonwealth
is
a
huge
property
right
state
and
you
can
literally
board
up
a
building
as
long
as
the
conditions
on
the
outside
make
compliance
and
being
what
we
had
done
is
to
work
to
make
sure
that
that
type
of
influence,
negative
influence
in
the
community
is
really
minimized.
We
try
and
steer
property
owners
to
putting
the
building
back
into
use
takes
a
lot
of
skill.
To
do
that,
we
want
to
get
the
building
back
online.
You
can
transfer
that
you
consider
selling
the
building.
Have
you
considered
putting
family
members?
A
A
What
will
happen
is
that
those
properties
will
receive
a
blight
preliminary
or
blight
designation
for
me,
and
it
will
have
to
meet
one
of
nine
sets
of
conditions
and
then
the
property
ownership
they
fail
to
cure
the
blight
that
will
come
forward
to
the
Planning
Commission
and
then
to
this
board,
where
you
can
make
a
decision
to
cure
the
blight.
Take
care
of
the
issue
which
may
be
to
take
care
of
some
problem,
that's
creating
it
or
take
the
building
down
or
to
acquire
the
property.
It's
a
lengthy
process.
It's
an
expensive
process.
A
It
works
very
much
like
eminent
domain,
can
take
as
much
as
a
year
to
pull
all
the
way
through
when
I
say
expensive,
to
take
a
simple
property
like
the
one
down
based
on
figures
that
we've
received
would
be
about
seventy
thousand
dollars.
So
if
we've
got
81
properties
that
we're
attempting
to
deal
with,
you
could
see
what
the
math
would
be
like
if
we
decided
to
go
forward
with
that.
A
Nighttime,
noise
and
epen
is
here
from
Deputy
Chief
and
depend
is
here
to
answer
some
questions
in
depth
about
noise
concerns.
I
did
want
to
say
what
the
issue
is
that
happens
at
noise,
this
confusion
about
who
to
call-
and
we've
worked
through-
that
when
we
work
through
the
five
year
long
process
for
the
noise
ordinance,
the
other
is
managing
citizen
expectations.
It's
about
a
2009,
Virginia,
Supreme
Court
decision
to
remove
subjectivity.
A
Well,
we
were
very
effective
at
removing
from
the
ordinance
not
so
much
from
the
minds
of
citizens.
You
know
too
loud,
it's
still
too
loud
to
me,
wrong.
Music
is
still
the
wrong
music
turn
it
down.
The
biggest
problems
that
are
reported
to
us
are
construction
activity
at
night
and
barking
dogs,
but
that's
not
the
biggest
activity.
That's
reported
to
the
Arlington
County
Boys
related
activity.
That's
reported
to
the
Arlington
County
police,
as
you
can
probably
imagine,
probably
stems
around
the
issues
or
activities
of
parties
and
Beverly
is
music.
A
That's
too
loud
fighting
public
drunkenness,
those
have
been
the
activities
and
I'll
let
W
Chief
Penn
go
into
detail
when
we
get
to
discussion.
Importantly,
we've
spoken
about
coordinating
between
our
agencies
and
the
protocols
that
we
put
in
place.
So
we
have
an
enterprise-wide
database
system
that
we're
attempting
to
adopt
and
put
in
place
here
that
would
allow
us
to
communicate
a
warning
that
etre
that
occurs
during
the
day
with
an
enforcement
action
that
might
occur
at
night.
A
So
one
of
the
challenges
is,
with
the
noise
ordinance,
there's
a
requirement
to
warn
first,
so
you
can
imagine
when
the
police
show
up
in
their
uniform
when
their
official
miss
a
warning
from
them,
usually
kind
of
quills.
Whatever
the
sound
issue
is,
there
may
be
a
high
level
of
criminality,
that's
going
on
that
they're
going
to
address,
but
what
is
going
to
do
is
kind
of
put
a
lid
on
the
noise
with
us.
Sometimes
there
are
some
levels
of
occurrence.
A
The
pre-construction
meetings
will
take
care
of
some
of
the
issues
around
construction
activities,
mostly
what
we're
getting
our
calls
around
the
big
projects,
not
something
and
there's
a
misnomer
that
you
can't
do
construction
activity
and
it's
the
noise
ordinance
is
the
reason
why
it's
not
true.
The
noise
ordinance
does
not
regulate
construction
activity.
The
noise
ordinance
regulates
noise,
so
a
site
plan
or
use
permit
condition,
may
restrict
a
property
owner
from
staging
or
from
doing
certain
types
of
activity,
even
if
the
noise
ordinance
would
allow
you
to
create
noise
of
for
that
type
of
activity.
A
So
if
we
play
someone
either
the
police
or
if
code
enforcement
places
some
property
owner
in
violation
because
of
control
general
eating
noise,
that's
being
produced
that
information
to
him
could
produce
a
stop
work
order
for
them
to
stop
work,
which
is
significant
until
they
are
able
to
comply
with
the
noise
ordinance
deliver.
If
I
can.
A
You
and
cyclical
property
issues
this
is
often
built
around
the
issues
of
this
is
where
we
hear
mostly
the
concerns
of
arbitrary
enforcement.
These
are
standards
that
actually
are
international
international
property
maintenance
code,
which
is
part
of
the
International
Code
Council
puts
the
same
standards
in
place
that
we
have
here,
and
we've
heard
so.
We've
heard
about
arbitrary
enforcement.
A
We've
heard
about
inadequate
enforcement,
the
other
the
other
side
of
the
spectrum
there's
been
some
challenges
about
County
methods
that
we
use
to
correct
violations
and
what
they're
talking
about
is
the
cure,
and
we
do
a
small
amount
actually
wound
up
in
the
budget.
We're
dealing
with
15
16
18
cases
on
average
a
year
county
enforcement
of
encroaching
or
overgrown
vegetation
on,
and
this
is
something
that's
been
specified
to
you,
butterfly
gardens
and
certified
wildlife
habitat.
A
What
we've
seen
even
when
we
respond
to
these
issues
is
six
feet
of
vegetation
that
prohibits
anyone
from
the
street
to
see
the
structure.
What
we've
seen
and
what
we've
received
is
complaints
about
vermin,
vector,
related
issues,
biting
insects,
ticks
in
the
community
and
that's
what
the
vegetation
limitations
are
designed
to
cure.
This
is
not
at
all
about
cultivated
gardens,
but
this
is
about
letting
things
grow,
wild
and
out
of
control.
This
is
a
very,
very
dense
community.
A
There
are
expectations
in
the
community
that
people
are
expected
to
adhere
to
education
is
the
most
important
piece,
so
we
try
and
explain
the
reasons
why
and
we've
actually
put
that
information
on
our
building
arlington
website.
We
want
people
to
go
there
and
visit
it,
see
and
hear
why
those
conditions
are
in
place,
but
they're
not
unusual
for
arlington,
and
there
were.
A
This
is
part
of
enabling
legislation
that
was
put
in
place
the
80s
and
have
been
adopted
by
most
counties,
larger
counties
initially
than
expanded
by
the
state
to
be
a
something
that
could
be
of
performance
in
all
counties.
There's
also
been
an
assist.
An
assessment
excuse
me
of
unused
personal
items
that
are
stored
outside
as
trash
and
debris.
A
The
condition
of
private
property
ordinance
kind
of
gives
us
some
path
to
say
when
the
personal
items
could
become
a
harborage
or
potential
issue
that
would
affect
the
safety
of
others
again
tires
and
things
that
are
assorted
on
the
outside
containers.
Would
that
might
be
contributing
to
pests
that
might
be
evading
other
properties?
So
the
cyclical
property
concerns
our
vegetation,
overgrowth
and
items
that
are
openly
stored.
The
way
we
deal
with
it
are
through
civil
infractions,
which
could
be
the
fines
that
I
pointed
out
earlier
warning
ten
days
$100
ten
days.
A
One
hundred
and
fifty
dollars
excuse
me
or
self
help
protocol,
which
is
secure
the
violation
and
give
the
property
owner
that
cost
and
in
closing
safe
occupancies,
our
primary
focus.
Importantly
proactive,
periodic
or
program
work
is
how
we
are
driven.
Our
inspections
are
comprehensive.
There
are
legal
process,
and
because
there
are
legal
process
they
are
triggered
when
there
is
failure
to
comply
with
a
written
notice,
always
that
the
staff
training
is
extensive
in
order
to
be
able
to
do
this
effectively.
A
There
are
very
few
cases
where
we
have
had
to
withdraw
a
violation
notice
because
of
a
defect,
but
we
are
willing
to
withdraw
a
violation
notice
if
it
is
defective,
because
we
wouldn't
be
able
to
prosecute
it
or
to
take
it
to
an
appeal.
If
we
know
that
it's
wrong
we're
going
to
fix
it
and
pull
it
back,
we're
on
Form-
and
you
know-
importantly-
staff-
are
informative.