The City of West Plains has adopted ordinances regulating property maintenance in both residential and commercial areas. Code enforcement involves the proper application of regulations that protect the health, safety, and well-being of the public. The benefit of appropriate code enforcement actions outweighs any benefit that the individual code violator may receive from maintaining a public nuisance. The Code Enforcement Program is responsible for responding to complaints and regularly patrols the City to identify violations. To report a violation you can contact the Code Enforcement Officer Tracy Morris at (417)256-7176, M-F, 8:00 am to 2:00 pm, or by email at tracy.morris@westplains.gov
City of West Plains
Tracy Morris, Code Enforcement Officer
1910 Holiday Lane, West Plains MO 65775
For all Nuisance and Property Maintenance regulations, refer to Chapter 27 of the West Plains City Code Book which may be accessed at City Hall on file or by using this link.
Tips
- Keep the grass and weeds cut no higher than seven (7) inches.
- Keep household trash stored in trash containers with lids to prevent animals from tearing into it, and or the wind blowing it about.
- Keep the exterior of the property free of visible debris, such as but not limited to, fallen trees and limbs, rubbish and trash, scrap lumber not stacked 12 inches off the ground, salvage building materials, junk, vehicle and equipment parts, tires, broken furniture, broken toys, non-functioning appliances, cardboard, inoperable lawn equipment and parts, clothing, an accumulation of pallets, and items manufactured for interior use.
- Keep the property free of inoperable and/or unregistered vehicles
- Keep vacant properties secured. All open and/or broken windows and doors must be repaired. The longer a structure remains vacant and unmaintained may lead to eventual requirement of demolition.
- The program prioritizes complaints reported, however, violations seen by the Code Enforcement Officer while on patrol will be addressed as well. Maintain your property to avoid a visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I ignore my violation notice?
You’d never ignore a speeding ticket to make it go away, right? Well, in the same way, disregarding code violations can lead to more serious financial – and even criminal – consequences.
Complaint and Inspection
Normally, the first step involves someone in the community filing a complaint with the Code Enforcement Officer. When this happens, the Code Enforcement Officer will complete an inspection of the property. If a code violation or violations are seen, a notice to the property owner/resident/tenant will be given. This notice will give a certain timeline to correct the issue. If no effort is made to fix the violation upon second inspection, consequences increase.
Fines and Criminal Charges
The next stage involves citations/penalties that can very quickly accrue hefty fine totals. Depending on the offense, fines can range from pennies to hundreds of dollars per day until the issue is resolved. The amount typically reflects the safety risks imposed by the violation, how long the violation has been ignored, and its severity. Now, let’s say you still haven’t addressed the violation. The City could pursue criminal prosecution. By not taking action on the violation notice, you may be putting the neighborhood’s health and safety at risk. Depending on the violation severity, the Court could impose greater fines or in some cases, order imprisonment for the neglectful property owner/resident/tenant.
City Abatement & Liens
The last step would be abatement of the code violation by the City. In this scenario, the City would have the violation resolved in a way they deemed appropriate. They obviously don’t do this for free, so they’d track expenses and charge you accordingly. If you don’t pay these expenses when you are billed, the City may place a lien on the property until you repay all fines and fees. A lien is a public record that shows you owe money. Until the sum is paid in full, long story short, having a lien on your property could prevent you from doing many things such as selling or refinancing it.
Fix, Fight, or Sell
As you can see, ignoring a violation will not make it disappear. The consequences will only get worse and the fines will continue to grow. You have three options: fix the violation, fight it, or sell your home. Selling your home will require the buyer to be notified of the violations and sign an agreement with the City to take on the burden of fixing such violations within the time period given. Though most traditional buyers are turned off by having to fix issues right after buying the home, there are always people looking for properties despite their faults.
If you are clearly in the wrong and have violated a regulation set forth by the City, you will need to remedy the issue during the initial allotted time to prevent the consequences from getting worse.