The City of Rochester has numerous residential, commercial and industrial buildings which are substantially sound and habitable structures which provide housing resources for residents and businesses in the city. The city also has vacant buildings and lots. Their condition and maintenance are vital to the protection and enhancement of the well-being of residents and businesses in adjacent areas. In order to conserve these valuable property resources in the city, to enhance the residential neighborhoods of the city and to protect the safety, health and welfare of the persons who live work and recreate in the city, the city adopted its property code.
Step One: Inspection:
An inspection is conducted by a Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) on the basis of a complaint, neighborhood survey, a referral, or a Certificate of Occupancy. If violations are present, a Notice and Order is issued to the owner requiring abatement within a specified time frame depending on the violations. For minor situations courtesy letters may be sent instead of a Notice and Order.
Step Two: Reinspection:
The CEO regularly reinspects a property. If work is in progress, an extension may be given in “good faith” that the work will be completed. If progress is not being achieved on a continual basis, the CEO attempts to contact the owner and get a schedule for the completion of the work. A CEO will try to work with an owner to identify resources to resolve the violations whenever possible. If the owner does not comply with the Notice and Order, the CEO may recommend that the case be placed in Enforcement.
Step Three: Enforcement:
A final warning letter is sent, via regular mail, to the owner of the property. The final warning letter notifies the owner of the possible dollar amount of the fines and attaches a violation schedule. The CEO will then reinspect the property to see if any of the violations have been corrected. He/she will also attempt to contact the owner to gain compliance. If progress is made, the CEO will get a strict schedule from the owner for compliance.
If upon reinspection no progress is made, a ticket is issued to the owner. Initial fines can range from $50 to $150 per violation, with the fines doubling and tripling with subsequent tickets. The CEO will continue to monitor the property for progress or additional ticketing.
The owner can request a hearing for the ticket through the Municipal Codes Violation Bureau. Cases are heard by administrative hearing examiners. If found guilty, the fines stand. Fines should only be waived if the owner proves that the violation did not exist at the time the ticket was issued. If property owners do not pay fines, the fines are added to their taxes, unless there has been a change in ownership, in which case the outstanding fines are held in judgment against the person they were issued to.
Get Tough Violations:
A Get Tough violation is defined as high grass and/or weeds of 10 inches or more, or trash/debris that is loose and uncontained.
The process for Get Tough violations is as follows:
The CEO inspects the property for either high grass and weeds or trash and debris. Grass and weeds must be a minimum of 10 inches before an CEO can cite it. If the violation exists, the CEO sends out a Notice and Order which requires the owner to abate the violation within 5 days.
If upon reinspection the violation has not abated, the owner is issued a ticket for $150 per violation. The City then acts to abate the violation
For high grass and weeds, the property is sent to a private contractor to abate the violation. This is usually done within 2 days of submitting it to the contractor.
For trash and debris, a work order is submitted to the City’s Department of Environmental Services to abate the violation. The time this takes to abate is dependent on scheduling of the work crews.
The property owner is billed for services provided for both types of Get Tough violations.
If you would like to submit a complaint about a specific property online, please complete this form