In most cases, the person responsible for a code violation is given an opportunity to voluntarily comply with the law and correct the situation.

Once the deadline in the Compliance Order has passed, the owner or responsible person is subject to one or more of the remedies listed below. (In addition to any fines that result from a remedy, fees may be charged after the second reinspection for multiple housing properties.)

Administrative Citation - This remedy is designed to address minor violations. The fines increase with each offense. For the first offense, the fines are:

• Lawn parking - $ 75.00
• Early set out of yard trimmings - $ 25.00
• Inoperable vehicle - $ 250.00
• Blight - $ 250.00
• Illegal Sign - $250.00

Administrative Remedies - This remedy is used for major violations. The fine is recommended by the City but decided upon by the Appeals Hearing Board. The fine can be as much as $2,500 per day starting from the date that non-compliance is documented. Administrative fees also may be assessed.

Abatement - This remedy is used where the City needs to take action to abate a nuisance. In a typical case, the City's Code Enforcement Division will hire a private contractor to either demolish or board and secure a structure, or to clean a property of junk and debris.

Judicial Remedies - These remedies are used where the other remedies are not considered to have a high probability of success. The two options are criminal prosecution or civil injunction.

Mediation also is available through the County of Santa Clara

If you are seeking relief from conditions on a property in your community, there are a number of options available to you:

• Make contact with the responsible person. Describe your perception of the problem. Discuss how the problem affects you and possible solutions.
• Attend your Neighborhood Association meetings, and get involved with solving the problem. If you do not know if you have a Neighborhood Association call the City of San Jose Neighborhood Development Center 277-5350 and ask for a contact person in your neighborhood.
• File a complaint with the City of San Jose, Code Enforcement Division 277-4528. A warning letter is sent for alleged violations and/or an Inspector is assigned the case. Anonymous complaints are not accepted. All information is kept confidential.

High service demands can routinely cause cases to remain open for 30 or more days. These cases usually involve violations that do not affect the public at large and do not constitute a health and safety problem.