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Porch/Carports

Dallas Colwell

Registered User
Joined
Dec 16, 2019
Messages
6
Location
Olney, IL
Does anyone use the IPMC (we just adopted the 2018 IPMC) to get residents to keep junk off porches and from carports? We have always considered this a grey area but we have some properties getting out of hand.

Thanks for reading and for any answers.
 
The city I work for just adopted this. Up till this point they had been using the 1997 Uniform Housing Code. They're very similar. Simple and too the point, easy to find the violation, concise wording.
 
I mostly just drive past if it's under a carport or porch. Just because you or a neighbor or a city councilman thinks it looks bad doesn't mean it really is.

"Junk" is not defined in the IPMC. If it's legit garbage or rubbish then go ahead and cite it as long as it's clearly visible from a public way - otherwise, keep driving.
 
We have a dept. that goes after trash, junk and debris. It is called the Rehab Dept. When I give people the phone number for the Rehab Dept I have been known to tell them to talk slowly and clearly. They will ask why. That's when I tell them that the person that they will be talking to is in rehab.

The Rehab inspectors have the same title, certifications and pay as actual building inspectors. They never use the certification knowledge and after a while, if they ever had it, they lose it....but the pay stays the same.
 
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Does your city have any adopted Ordinances

or possibly, ...something in the Zoning to provide
guidance ?........Also, ...you can amend \ revise
your adopted IPMC to add additional requirements.
It just has to be done legally thru the City Council \
Board of Aldermen \ etc., with full transparency to
all.


# # == # #
 
Dallas,
We use the IPMC and we have set up a letter program, starts with a friendly reminder that there is a violation, gives them a small window to take care of the issue(s). Then if no action by the resident they get a second letter with a "Notice and Order" with a smaller window to comply. After that a summons to court is issued. We've had pretty good success with this system so for with about 90% compliance with the first letter, 95% after the order and then a few violators going to court.

We still have a majority of people that say "Why don't you issue them a summons to court?". That goes a little bit different, court meets once a month and the violator can ask the court for a continuance, the court can do a continuance and the attorney can ask for one. Now your three months into it and still do not have compliance. The court can rule and fine them, but that doesn't mean the issue is rectified. This State changed the way they can be fined to a three tier increased fine system, so your going to be righting a lot of court summons. With covid, courts have been closed, so the letter way seems to be the better way.

Generally I think most people do not like to receive a letter from the city and I have had some that have asked for more time to comply which we oblige.

I have also found that a summons to court can result in you receiving a few new unpleasant names.

As far as junk on the porch, we have an ordinance that it has to be unsheltered to be a violation, like fatboy posted,

Lifestyle choices, hard to regulate!
 
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