A. 
The city council finds that the enforcement of the Manteca Municipal Code and applicable state codes throughout the city is an important public service. Code enforcement is vital to the protection of the public's health, safety, and quality of life. The city council recognizes that enforcement starts with the drafting of precise regulations that can be effectively applied in administrative enforcement hearings and judicial proceedings. The city council further finds that a comprehensive code enforcement system requires a variety of judicial and administrative remedies to enforce violations of this code and applicable state codes. The city council also finds that there is a need to establish uniform procedures for administrative enforcement hearings conducted pursuant to this code. It is the purpose and intent of the city council to afford due process of law to any person who is directly affected by an administrative action. Due process of law includes: adequate notice, an opportunity to participate in the administrative hearing process and an adequate explanation of the reasons justifying the administrative action. These procedures are also intended to establish a forum to efficiently, expeditiously, and fairly resolve issues raised in any administrative enforcement action. The city attorney is authorized to develop policies and procedures relating to the qualifications, appointment, and compensation of hearing officers, hearing officer powers, hearing procedures, scope of the hearing, subpoena powers, and other matters relating to administrative enforcement hearings.
B. 
The procedures established in this chapter shall be in addition to criminal, civil, or other legal remedies established by law, which may be pursued to address violations of this code or applicable state codes and the use of this chapter shall be at the sole discretion of the city.
(Ord. 1457 § 2, 2010)
"Administrative citation"
means a document issued by an enforcement officer to a person violating the provisions of this code or applicable state code.
"Administrative order"
means an order issued by an administrative hearing officer after a hearing requiring a responsible person to correct violations, abate a public nuisance, pay administrative fines, civil penalties, administrative costs, authorize the city to abate a public nuisance, assess a code enforcement lien, or take any other action as authorized or required by this code and applicable state codes.
"Assessment lien"
means a lien recorded with the San Joaquin County recorder's office, or a special assessment filed with the San Joaquin County auditor-controller's office, for the purposes of collecting outstanding administrative citation fines, civil penalties, and administrative costs imposed as part of a cost recovery, administrative or judicial code enforcement action. It also means the same as a code enforcement lien.
"Code Enforcement Lien."
See definition of "assessment lien."
"Enforcement officer"
means a person authorized to enforce violations of the Manteca Municipal Code, adopted uniform codes, and applicable state codes within their department's jurisdiction, or as designated by the city manager.
"Director"
includes each of the directors of the following city departments: community development, public works, parks, finance, police, fire, and any of their designated agents or representatives within their jurisdiction.
"Hearing officer (or administrative hearing officer)"
means any person appointed by the city attorney to preside over administrative hearings.
"Notice and order"
means a document used in abatement actions and assessment of civil penalties involving serious code violations, which provide notice of municipal code, adopted uniform codes, or applicable state code violations and orders a responsible person to take certain steps to correct the violations within a definitive period of time. Civil penalties may also be imposed in conjunction with this notice.
"Notice of compliance"
means a document issued by a director, which represents that a property has been brought into compliance with the criteria set forth under this code.
"Notice of pendency of action"
means a document or form to be recorded with the San Joaquin County recorder's office advising that the property is in violation of the Manteca Municipal Code, uniform codes, or applicable state codes or that an abatement action is pending.
"Notice of satisfaction"
means a document or form, which indicates that all outstanding civil penalties and costs have either been paid in full, or that the city has negotiated an agreed amount, or that a subsequent administrative or judicial decision has resolved the outstanding debt.
"Notice of violation"
means a written notice, which informs a responsible person of code violations present on the subject property, lists the required compliance actions, and contains specific information as required by this code.
"Owner"
applied to a building or land, shall include any part owner, joint owner, tenant, tenant in common, joint tenant, of the whole or a part of such building or land.
"Person,"
unless it otherwise appears from the context as used, includes any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business trust, company, corporation, public agency, school district, the state of California, its political subdivisions and/or instrumentalities thereof or any other entity which is recognized by law as the subject of rights or duties.
"Property owner"
means the record owner of real property as listed on the last equalized assessment roll maintained by the San Joaquin County assessor.
"Responsible person"
means a person who a director determines is responsible for causing, permitting, or maintaining a public nuisance or a violation of the Manteca Municipal Code, adopted uniform codes, or applicable state codes. The term "responsible person" includes, but is not limited to, a property owner, tenant, person with a legal interest in the subject property, person in possession of the subject property, or person that exercises custody and control over the subject property.
"Shall"
is mandatory and "may" is permissive. However, the use of the word "shall" in this chapter is not intended and shall not impose any mandatory duty to third parties by the city, its commissions, boards, officers, agents, or employees and is not intended and shall not impose any liability on the city, its commissions, boards, officers, agents, or employees.
(Ord. 1457 § 2, 2010)
The police chief, designated enforcement officers, the fire chief, and other city directors and/or their designated agents have the authority and powers necessary to determine whether a violation of this code or applicable state codes exists and the authority to take appropriate action to gain compliance with the provisions of this code, adopted uniform codes, or applicable state codes. These powers include the power to issue notices of violation, administrative citations, notices and orders, civil penalties, the power to inspect public and private property, and use the administrative remedies which are available under this code, adopted uniform codes, or applicable state codes.
(Ord. 1457 § 2, 2010)
A director, an enforcement officer, or other duly authorized agent are authorized to enter upon any property or premises within the city to ascertain whether the provisions of this code, adopted uniform codes, or applicable state codes are being obeyed, and to make any examinations and surveys as may be necessary in the performance of their enforcement duties. These may include the taking of photographs, samples, or other physical evidence such as the use of a sound level measurement device to measure noise disturbances. All inspections, entries, examinations, and surveys shall be done in a reasonable manner. If an owner, occupant, or agent or other responsible person refuses permission to enter or inspect, the enforcement officer may seek an administrative inspection warrant pursuant to the procedures provided for in the California Code of Civil Procedure.
(Ord. 1457 § 2, 2010)
A. 
The city council finds there is a need to recover costs incurred by the city in its code enforcement efforts including time spent by city personnel inspecting and reinspecting properties throughout the city, preparing and posting the various notices that are required under this code whenever a property is found to be in violation of a mandatory provision, processing a case file, towing inoperative vehicles, obtaining inspection warrants, and preparing for and appearing at administrative hearings, which procedures all become necessary when a responsible person fails to voluntarily correct code violations on his or her property. These additional code enforcement efforts are not usually undertaken or employed until after a responsible person has failed to respond on a voluntary basis to notices and/or warnings from the city or volunteers.
B. 
The city council further finds the assessment of fees for the services listed in subsection A of this section, are an appropriate method to recover costs incurred for the additional work that is undertaken by city staff when a responsible person fails to voluntarily correct code violations on his or her property in a timely manner. The assessment and collection of these code enforcement fees shall not preclude the imposition of, and shall be in addition to, any administrative or judicial civil penalties or fines for violations of this code or applicable state codes.
(Ord. 1457 § 2, 2010)
Whenever a enforcement officer and/or designated staff inspects, reinspects, processes a case file, prepares and posts a notice of intent to abate, a notice of violation, notice to vacate, notice and order of demolition, abandoned vehicle abatement notice, seeks and obtains an inspection warrant, prepares for and appears at an administrative hearing, or any other action as may be hereinafter designated by resolution of the city council, for which an action has been initiated to obtain compliance with this code or applicable state code, a director shall assess the appropriate code enforcement fee against the responsible person.
(Ord. 1457 § 2, 2010)
A code enforcement fee schedule shall be established and revised as necessary by the city council to reflect current costs. The code enforcement fee schedule shall be filed in the city clerk's office.
(Ord. 1457 § 2, 2010)
No fee shall be charged if any of the following circumstances exist:
A. 
A notice of compliance has been issued;
B. 
It is determined that the previously identified responsible person has not caused the code violation; or
C. 
The responsible person fully complies with any notice of violation or warning before the compliance reinspection deadline set by code enforcement staff.
(Ord. 1457 § 2, 2010)
A. 
Where the assessment of code enforcement fees is authorized under this chapter, the director shall provide the responsible person with a written notice assessing code enforcement fees. The written assessment shall contain the following information: (1) the amount of fees charged; (2) the corresponding dates when code enforcement action took place; and (3) a deadline by which the code enforcement fee must be paid.
B. 
Notification of the code enforcement fee assessment shall be provided to the responsible person by any of the means outlined in this chapter.
C. 
Code enforcement fees may be assessed as part of any judicial or administrative enforcement action as provided for in this chapter.
D. 
Code enforcement fees collected pursuant to this chapter shall not be duplicated in any other action to recover these identical costs.
E. 
The failure of any responsible person to receive notice of the code enforcement fees shall not affect the validity of any fees imposed under this chapter.
(Ord. 1457 § 2, 2010)
The city shall collect the assessed code enforcement and late fees by the use of all appropriate legal means, including but not limited to: referral to the finance department for collection or assessment against the property.
(Ord. 1457 § 2, 2010)