When the City receives a complaint about blight on private property, it’s the job of the Code Enforcement Division to investigate the complaint and, if a violation is found, ensure that the property owner brings the property into compliance. The City aims to resolve complaints quickly and efficiently. 

What's going well 

Code Enforcement is undertaking multiple efforts to improve the speed and effectiveness of its services, based on an Operational Assessment it completed in Fiscal Year 2024-2025. 

Challenges     

Code Enforcement capacity has been stretched with increasing case volumes, expanding scope, and static staffing. 

What the City is doing

• Chronic Offender Resolution and Enforcement (CORE) Pilot Program: The City is implementing a pilot program that escalates enforcement on properties with frequent code violations, requiring them to register and undergo more frequent inspections.
• Escalated Enforcement Policy: The City is implementing an escalated enforcement policy that provides clear guidance to inspectors on enforcement procedures, standardizes compliance timelines, and sets clear expectations for escalating enforcement.
• CodeX Implementation: The City is Implementing a new code enforcement case management system, which will make management of code enforcement cases more efficient and effective, resulting in more effective prioritization of cases and more rapid case resolution, and substantially increase Code Enforcements ability to use data analytics to improve service delivery.
• Fine Revisions: The City is working with a consultant to conduct an evaluation of the City’s Code Enforcement fine structure, identify impediments to compliance and identify strategies to more effectively achieve compliance, which may include revised fines or other methods.
• Enhanced Vacant Building and Storefront Enforcement: The City has convened a working group to coordinate between departments on enforcement of blighted properties in the Downtown to support more effective enforcement against problem properties.

The City currently provides a service that removes graffiti from public property. Residents can submit service requests to remove graffiti through San Jose 311. The City is working to compliment this removal service with and enforcement and diversion program that deters graffiti from being created in the first place.

What’s going well

The City removes graffiti quickly and effectively through its existing service. 

Challenges

Despite an effective removal program, the volume of graffiti has grown steadily over the past ten years, resulting in a large volume of graffiti removed each year. The City could potentially avoid removing such a large volume of graffiti if it could deter graffiti through enforcement. 

What the City is doing

• Graffiti Enforcement and Diversion: The City is devoting resources to developing cases against prolific taggers and referring them to the District Attorney’s Office. Offenders will be offered a diversion program where appropriate. The goal of this program is to deter graffiti from being created in the first place.

While the City is doing well in collecting illegal dumping and has invested more over time in its programs, the volume of illegal dumping in neighborhoods continues to increase. The City is working to reduce the amount of illegal dumping by deterring it and providing convenient legal alternatives for the disposal of waste. 

What’s going well

Collection of illegal dumping has increased over the past four years.

Challenges

The City could avoid collecting such a large volume of illegal dumping if it could deter the practice and divert it into legal means.

What the City is doing

• Illegal Dumping Enforcement: The City is working to deter illegal dumping through enforcement, including capturing evidence of illegal dumping through mobile cameras and seizing vehicles used in illegal dumping.
• Illegal Dumping Education: The City is Implementing an education strategy aimed at deterring illegal dumping, including engagement with neighborhood associations, school presentations, and a marketing campaign.
• Junk Pickup Improvement Project: Staff is pursuing a number of strategies to increase utilization of the Junk Pickup program to provide a convenient legal means of disposing large items. Efforts include improvements to the San Jose 311 that allows residents to request a Junk Pickup appointment, improved Junk Pickup utilization for multifamily residences through enhanced outreach and potential service model improvements in the next solid waste contract.
• Trash and Debris Disposal Process Improvement Project: Given the large volume of trash collected by the City, this project will develop revised trash disposal procedures and service efficiency improvements to handle the volume of trash more efficiently.
• Abandoned Shopping Cart Pilot Program: The City has implemented an abandoned shopping cart pilot program, which proactively removes abandoned carts from two pilot areas in San Jose. Staff will use learning from the pilot program to recommend an ongoing service model for retrieval of abandoned carts.