Zoning and Building Code Enforcement

As the city has “grown up” we’ve had to augment our zoning and building enforcement efforts over the years.  About the time I was elected to my first term the big issue was overcrowding.  One of the ways localities combat these kinds of problems is building and zoning code enforcement.  At that time, we had 1 zoning inspector (Herndon had 6) and I brought forward a request to add several more in order to help police the evolving situation in our City.

The historical approach to zoning enforcement in Manassas is best termed “the quest for compliance”.  The leadership in Manassas long ago made the decision that what they really wanted was compliance.  They did not care at the time whether someone paid a fine - they just wanted the grass cut or the car off the lawn.  

That has worked well enough over the years but the situation has evolved: the “quest for compliance” methodology works well enough when people are inclined to comply; when they are not, it leads to endless correspondence.  The next step would be to drag the offender into court and I just don’t know how much sense that makes. 

So, I discovered about four weeks ago that the City used to fine people that didn’t abide by certain zoning laws but that we discontinued the practice at least 10 years ago.  The thought at the time was that it really wasn’t worth the trouble to write tickets when what you were really after was compliance. 

Enforcement of zoning laws hasn’t been a punitive exercise for us.

This being the case, I asked the staff for a discussion at the last Land Use meeting and it was enlightening.  Our inspectors indicate that, as time has gone by, more of their time has been consumed with fewer cases – those that aren’t interested in compliance. 

In addition, we only need alter the law to reimpose the fines.  You can set those fines only on certain classes of infractions if you like.  According to our inspections staff who were present, the majority of these repeat offenders are in the tall grass and cars parked in yards category.  So, instead of endless warnings and violations, we could simply ticket offenders – the hope of course is that a modest fine will get the attention of those who aren’t inclined to respond to violation notices.

The staff is working up a recommendation for the next Land Use Meeting and we’ll take it up then.

The views expressed in this post are not necessarily those of Manassas City.