Frequently Asked Questions

Potential Code Violations should be reported to a City Code Enforcement Officer. To contact Code Enforcement, you can call 360-685-2365 or visit the Community Development Department on the second floor of City Hall.

Alternately, you can report a violation by:

1. Fill out our online code enforcement form.
2. Visit City Hall in person and fill out a paper Citizen Action Request.
3. Downloading a Citizen Action Request (PDF) and then returning the form to City Hall

Yes. In the event of a records request, your personal information will be redacted, and only the content of the complaint will be released. The City will only investigate what it deems to be a credible complaint.

Please call 911. The Police Department will then contact City Hall about the incident.

To ensure fairness, we go through the same process with every complaint.

1. The Code Enforcement Officer investigates the potential code violation.
2. If no violation is found, the case is closed
3. If a violation is confirmed, the Code Enforcement Officer initiates informal contact with the property owner to inform them of a code violation, methods for resolving the violation, and a date by which the violation must be resolved. A Notice of Violation may be issued without prior informal contact.
4. If voluntary compliance is not reached, an official Notice of Violation is issued with a deadline for corrective action, and an initial penalty of $1,000 is assessed. A Notice of Violation may be issued without prior informal contact.
5. If compliance is not reached by the Notice of Violation’s deadline for corrective action, a fine of $1,000 for each violation may be issued, which will accrue on a daily basis.
6. If compliance is still not met, the case is forwarded to the City Attorney for additional legal action.

The City can issue a Stop Work Order, requiring that all work cease immediately.  The Stop Work Order may or may not include fines and may be temporary, such as when there are risks resulting from weather conditions.  A violation of a Stop Work Order may result in criminal penalties.

Resolving a code enforcement case depends on how complex the situation is and the level of cooperation from property owners and tenants.

No, unless the complaint was issued by the City of Ferndale. The complainant’s personal information is considered private and exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act.

Also, the source of complaints varies with each case. Sometimes they come in the form of Citizen Action Requests from the public. Other times, the complaint will be fielded anonymously over the phone or through a voicemail. The Code Enforcement Officer might receive complaints from other staff members or see the violation while out in the field. However, the City will avoid unnecessary enforcement actions and will not investigate any claims it believes are not credible. To avoid having the City get involved in a civil dispute, staff may advise the complainant to hire a land use attorney or investigate private dispute resolution.

Property owners are ultimately responsible for what occurs on their property. The City recognizes that the property owners may not have committed a violation themselves, but property owners are responsible for what occurs on their property. Even if property owners have a lease with their tenant, property owners will be responsible for any violation fines that result from activity on their property. The details are available in the Ferndale Municipal Code.

Previously, the penalty for a code violation was $300. This resulted in many unresolved cases due to the perceived low value of the violation. The penalty for a code violation was increased to $1,000 to promote the resolution of cases. The penalty may be reduced or waived at the discretion of the Director upon good faith efforts toward compliance. See Ferndale Municipal Code 1.12.040 and Municipal Code 1.12.100 for more details.

Yes. The party of record or responsible party must submit an appeal to the Community Development Director within 10 calendar days of service of a Notice of Violation. For more information on appeals, see Ferndale Municipal Code 1.12.080.