1. You have it backwards, I don't have any business dealings in the City of St Louis. Contractors like working in the City of St Louis. (which is not part of STL County, it's its own county). STL City is one of the 4 surrounding counties without the problem.
Its really about 20 of the 25 north county cities that get most of the complaints, three cities in particular (up from 2, 2 years ago). And I only own homes in a few cities.
I have had some inspectors thank me for my work being superior to most landlords in their area, and actual try to have a professional non-confrontational business relationship. I actually had one ask me if I would buy a couple of problem properties and "do the same thing to those".
These cities are 24,000, 12,000, 8,000 and 3,000. They have one or two inspectors.
2. Yes, landlord.
I rehabilitate them, then rent them in working class or middle class neighborhoods.
2a.. As a new "occupancy inspection" and "occupancy permit" is require by these cities anytime anyone other than a new baby moves into a residential unit.
3. Just a landlord after rehabbing properties. I have not sold any houses in 25 years.
4. 90% of my "code enforcement issues is "tall grass" or overgrowth. Eastern Missouri has insane growth. Especially during covid, when I was injured and my lawn tractor broke, with numerous vacant properties...perfect storm. I begged forgiveness until my brand new "john deere" was delivered (had to be ordered).
I had two other issues, one is being litigated as they massive abatement my property without cause and without any notice, warnings, citations or warrants. Police body cams show that my property was in compliance, but the 4 surrounding properties were not.
5. I never claimed I was a PE. Due to my experience, if I wanted to be a PE, I just take 2 classes, file for a license, and get malpractice insurance with little benefit for it. I said I was an ABET accredited engineer. I worked as an Engineer for US Government (military and space) and private industry for over 30 years.
Statute 327 says City Inspectors must be or be supervised by a PE, they are not.
6. No, they are not all out to get me. I get along well with more than a few. The ones I have issue with are unreasonable to all, but when I say no to the bully they get really mean and it gets personal. 14th amendment defines the guardrails there.
In my home city, the prior Commissioner of Community Development was widely hated for the unreasonableness of his department. It became personal for him when I stood up to him and said I was not going to allow them to apply "special inspection" retaliation against me for a nonsensical violation (14th amendment violation). I deserved a $200 ticket unless I comply, not permanent condemnation of the house for frivolous reasons. His replacement is cut from the same cloth. The "appeal" board had never been convened before, and their official finding was that I just needed to learn to "get along" with Commissioner Garlock , like everyone else has to. They determined that the Commissioner was the law, not the building code, and not the City ordinance. He had a reputation for targeting owners who had to abandon their property or sell it at fire sale pricing to someone like me, who has not relationship with the seller.
Near my home, my neighbor was unable to move into their turnkey home for 3 months because the prior owner used wood screws instead of drywall screws for a semi-finished basement. And the city inspectors declare that NO basements qualify as "living space" even though almost all have two exits. But still made them replace every wood screw with a drywall screw (along the outer basement wall) before they could move into their own home. I ran into similar with the house I live in. They failed the move in inspection (occupancy inspection) and would not let me move in for three months unless the "natural gas" system was certified by a private inspector to meet the 2010 standard in a house that had not been updated since the house was built in 1956. That absolutely violates the "international existing building code". The gas company who is super strict due to liability had already passed the house and turned on the gas.
The other city who won't give me a drywall permit. What reasons can you give justifying preventing a homeowner from getting a drywall permit for two rooms replacing existing wall and ceiling drywall? Many cities don't require a permit to replace existing drywall. Two years ago, that city did not require a permit to replace drywall. And how is that a compelling health and safety issue (the legal standard)?
In the next county, my girlfriend's contractor got his permits for a major kitchen remodel on the same day in a large city in the next county, along with electrical permits to move electrical outlets in the remodeled kitchen. That city did not require drywall permits.
In another city here, they did not require me to get permits for siding, drywall, kitchen cabinets.
But my question to you is: Do you feel that code officers and building inspectors who are not engineers SHOULD BE ABLE to make law and building code on the spot? or should they have to follow the law by citing the building code or the ordinance they are purporting to enforce if there is a question?
We have a well-documented problem in St Louis County with governments who operates outside the law. After Ferguson, the Legislature, the Missouri Supreme Court and the Justice Department all said, this has gone too far and over the protests of the municipal league went after the problems in STL County.
After Ferguson, the Missouri Supreme Court investigated and found that St Louis County (and no other counties in Missouri) have extreme issues with the cities and the city courts.
The Missouri Supreme Court took the unheard-of steps to hire two permanent full-time investigators to investigate allegations of judicial and prosecutorial misconduct in St Louis County. In all Missouri, the Supreme Court's blue ribbon panel ONLY received complaints about St Louis County's 21st circuit, and the panel was appalled at the nature of the complaints and the numbers of complaints (many hundreds) about the cities and their courts.
US Senator Eric Schmitt had me testify on his reining in St Louis County's cities code enforcement Missouri Senate Bill 572 (when he was state senator), which passed with bipartisan support because of the abusive code enforcement (not building inspectors) in more than a few of St Louis County's cities. Some cities were using traffic and code enforcement to fund over 90% of their budget.
US Justice Department identified and wanted to roll up on all 24 North County cities due to abusive traffic and code enforcement, but Washington reached out and set a guardrail of "just Ferguson". (I believe Obama administration limited Justice Dept as they were targeting Democrat cities)
Now, in 2023, 6 cities are forced to refund all traffic fines going back to 2011 because the cities, their judges, their prosecutor and their police were violating the law with abusive revenue enforcement (writing traffic tickets for fun and profit). In 2024 I expect Arch City Defenders to add more Cities to the consent decree. Arch City Defenders has gone after north county cities for abusive code enforcement against the poor.
