One of the most powerful tools that can be used to force compliance with the law is contempt of court. When someone wilfully disobeys a court order, that […]
Code Enforcement / Fire Prevention
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Using Operational Permits for Fire Prevention
I am always surprised to discover that many fire departments and districts don’t make use of the operational permit provisions in the International Fire Code in Section 105.1.1 […]
property maintenance
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Vacant v. Abandoned Buildings
What kind of a vacant building can an inspector enter without an administrative search warrant? It really depends on the facts of each case. Just because a building […]
training
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Webinar on Managing Distressed Properties for Code Officials
I spent the morning at the ICC offices in Country Club Hills filming a webinar on foreclosure issues for code officials called “Managing Distressed Properties for Code Officials”. […]
Law Enforcement and Codes
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Code Enforcement is Law Enforcement Part 3
Jake Slater, Director of the Department of Code Enforcement and Business Tax in Tampa, FL contacted me to comment on my most recent post about how code enforcement […]
Building Codes
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Denying Permit for Good Intentions
Sometimes a local jurisdiction ends up getting in trouble for denying a permit though it had honorable intentions. In Vineyard Investments LLC v. City of Madison, 999 So.2d […]
Code Enforcement / Foreclosure
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Homes by Fannie Mae
If you want to find out what houses are owned by Fannie Mae in your jurisdiction, go to http://reosearch.fanniemae.com/reosearch/ Once again credit goes to Kelly Anbach, code enforcement […]
Code Enforcement
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Code Enforcement is Law Enforcement Part 2
I had the privilege of doing a seminar for MACE, the Missouri group for code inspectors, last month in Springfield, Missouri. The members were energetic and a joy […]
Code Enforcement / Foreclosure
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Suburban Homes Become Rentals
This article in the Wall Street Journal describes a scenario we’ve been seeing recently, owner occupied property in distant suburbs turning into rental neighborhoods. It’s entitled, In the […]
Building Codes
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Permits Anyone?: As Prices Decline, Investors Swoop In
At the airport in San Francisco yesterday while waiting for my flight, I read this in the San Francisco Chronicle: The Bay Area reached a peak median sales […]