Yuba County Code Enforcement recaps 2023 caseload

Michaela Harris, Appeal-Democrat, Marysville, Calif.
·2 min read

Mar. 5—Yuba County Code Enforcement gave its second annual presentation to the Board of Supervisors on March 1, recapping the work performed throughout the area in 2023.

Code Enforcement is primarily responsible for identifying, correcting and abating nuisances found out of compliance with the county's land regulations while maintaining an atmosphere of respect and education for property owners.

According to Code Enforcement Manager Jeremy Strang, the department opened just over 500 new cases in 2023 and closed around 600. As of Feb. 16, Code Enforcement has a current active caseload of 376, a much lower count compared to 2022, which carried an excess of 1,200 active cases.

"You can see, in 2022, a big spike in the closure of cases. That was a priority of mine as we brought on new staff where we had old cases that we no longer had officers for, or that in our case priority schedule, didn't rank very high," Strang said.

Since 2019, Code Enforcement has seen a steady decrease in the number of opened cases. Strang attributes this to the department taking a "pretty severe break" in marijuana enforcement, but he hopes to address more of these cases in the future. Through partnerships with law enforcement, Yuba County Code Enforcement participated in 30 criminal warrants, resulting in the destruction and seizure of over 66,000 marijuana plants.

"This appears to be the highest plant count that the county has seen since we've been tracking our marijuana statistics," Strang said.

Out of the 506 new cases opened in 2023, Linda, Olivehurst and Plumas Lake maintained the most cases at 116, 109, and 63 respectively. This year, Code Enforcement was able to formulate data at a district level, which showed that District 3 produced the most cases, Strang said. Districts 1 and 5 tied for second with 116 cases each.

In 2023, Yuba County Code Enforcement issued 57 abatement orders, executed 12 inspection warrants, and posted 80 buildings as unsafe to occupy. Out of those buildings, nine units qualified for relocation assistance, which translated to advancing over $27,000 to the displaced residents, Strang said.

Of the 57 abatements issued, 48 were completed, 26 of which were county led and 22 were voluntary with notice and order. The remaining nine abatements were placed under stipulation agreements to bring a property up to code upon its sale.

Code Enforcement also oversees a hand crew that collects waste and debris at various case sites. In 2023, this crew collected nearly 120 tons along county streets and waterways, nearly 1.5 tons of vegetation, and numerous tires, appliances and mattresses, Strang said.

With 2024 in full swing, Code Enforcement is making prime commercial corridors in Yuba County a high priority for department activities, including Lindhurst Avenue, North Beale Road and Olivehurst Avenue. Other areas of focus include county waterways, illegal camping, storage of personal property and marijuana, Strang said.