The Mountlake Terrace City Council during its Jan. 23 meeting received an update on municipal code compliance efforts since that responsibility was transferred to the community and economic development department.

Code Compliance Officer Laura Stevenson presented data from May 2024, when Stevenson took over the position, until December 2024. Stevenson had worked in public works for six years before taking on the compliance officer role.

Code compliance was under the jurisdiction of the Mountlake Terrace Police Department until it was placed under the community and economic development department. Since then, Stevenson said she started with a backlog of 97 open cases, of which she closed 60, opened 106 new cases, and closed 43 of those, totaling 203 opened with 103 closed, with the remaining 100 being rolled into 2025.

Of the violations by case type, 55% are building violations, 32% are nuisances, 8% are unsafe conditions and 5% are zoning violations.

Stevenson showed the council some of the most significant compliance issues she had investigated in her first seven months on the job.

One structure had a large raccoon infestation, which Stevenson said “eventually evolved into an illegal demolition.” This served as an example of a nuisance violation for the infestation and other violations for the demolition.

Steven said building or missing permit cases frequently involve flipped houses, remodels, additions and demolitions, accessory structures, business licenses, new roofs, and garage and carport conversions.

However, Stevenson said her top priority is finding unsafe conditions. The city has had cases where tenants lived in illegal ADUs, garages, sheds, closets and tents. Some tenants were told to use buckets for sanitation outdoors. Further, many properties lacked functioning or updated smoke detectors and other critical fire safety concerns.

Stevenson explained that unsafe conditions typically involve multiple violations from different areas of the code:

– Uninhabitable houses

– Vacant buildings

– Collapsed structures

– Tenants in sheds

– Exposed hazards

Something considered a nuisance can also be a safety concern. At one location, a collection of junk and debris also had an old stove that Stevenson said a child could get into and become trapped, much like a refrigerator.

Nuisance violations include:

– Vegetation

– Vehicles on lawns

– Trash or debris

– Collapsing structures

– Infestations (like raccoons)

– Attractive nuisances, such as graffiti

Stevenson’s goal is to move from “violation to correction” through a series of steps:

– Pre-enforcement notice (PEN): A letter warning the responsible party of the code violation. Issued for minor code violations.

– Voluntary compliance agreement (VCA): This agreement notifies the responsible party of existing violations and provides an opportunity to acknowledge the violations and agree to corrective measures without further escalation.

– Notice of violation (NOV): Generally issued for uncorrected violations after the deadlines for a PEN or a signed VCA have passed. They can serve as the initial written notice for urgent or hazardous violations. Reasonable extension requests are granted and can be appealed to the hearing examiner.

– Final notice: The city’s final communication outlining the next steps regarding fines, assessments, and abatements. This is the last opportunity to make corrections without escalation.

– Abatements: Abatements are considered a last resort and are implemented only after all attempts at voluntary compliance have been exhausted. They are typically carried out with a court order, though the city retains the option to abate as outlined in the code.

Stevenson said that the hearing examiner had reviewed three code case appeals, ruling in favor of the city on all occasions. Since May 1, 2024, seven code cases have proceeded to litigation. One case involving an illegal structure was found for the city; six additional cases are currently pending.

There are cases when a homeowner cannot physically make the corrections and doesn’t have the money to pay for labor. One instance was graffiti on a fence. Stevenson said the man who lived in the home was quite advanced in age, on a fixed income and could not physically clean the paint.

“Luckily, I know people in public works with a pressure washer, and they got it done right away,” Stevenson said.

She noted that most violations are handled voluntarily; however, some people are simply unwilling to comply. Stevenson said if the homeowner lives out of the state, “which is often the case,” enforcement can take longer.

Stevenson showed the city council the work code enforcement has done since last summer, ranging from buildings failing to meet safety and sanitation standards, owners who have ignored every notice and buildings that are an eyesore to the town.

“I apologize for this photo; this is sewage being pumped through a hose, and that hose actually leads to the fence line of the neighboring property,” Stevenson said to the council.

The house Stevenson discussed had sewage flowing under the house and into the yard. The owner placed a pump under the house and a garden hose leading to the fence. The house was being rented, and one of the occupants was a child.

The property’s tenants called a plumber, but the owner kicked the plumber off the property. The renters broke their lease and moved.

Stormwater staff inspected the site and said it was safe from an ecological standpoint, as it was absorbed into the ground. However, it is still being monitored for human health.

“If there’s a building that is unsafe, we will red tag it,” Stevenson said.

A “red tag” declares a structure unsafe for human habitation until corrections are made, and this building had multiple reasons for receiving the penalty. Stevenson described three electrical wires dangling overhead from an unpermitted extension she “assumed were live.”

Further, the addition had an open electrical junction box. Where the house’s roof originally ended. The structure was not drilled correctly, which led to water entering the wall’s interior, creating water damage and mold in the drywall.

The owner was cited for multiple violations, including having an illegal ADU, unpermitted work and lacking a business license.

The owner is appealing to Snohomish County Superior Court.

A building that went from violation to demolition recently was the Red Onion, a former burger and barbecue restaurant located at 23209 56th Ave. W. The building received fire damage in 2012, forcing the owner — former Mountlake Terrace Councilmember Seuan Richards — to relocate to a building on 44th Avenue West.

Stevenson said the 56th Avenue West building was purchased in 2017 but sat unrenovated by the new owners and started to accrue safety and nuisance violations until it was ultimately demolished.

The owners of the King’s III Chinese Restaurant building at 5114 212th St. S.W. have settled their fines with the city. If it is not brought up to code by March 6, it will be demolished.

If sold, Stevenson said the title company would know ahead of time and inform the potential buyer. The owners can pass the violations to the buyer using an affidavit, and the new owners can make a schedule with the city to correct all violations or schedule a demolition.

Stevenson said that the owners of the King’s III had initiated a demolition permit.

The presentation material can be seen here.

In other business, the council received a third-quarter police department report from Mountlake Terrace Police Chief Pete Caw, Cmdr. Mike Haynes, and Cmdr. Scott King.

Caw said it’s “kind of a report card” on the police department’s efforts, including updates on training, staffing and how social media helped investigators track down drive-by shooting suspects.

Read the entire story here.

Other items approved by the city council:

— Water and Sewer Comprehensive Plan consultant contracts with Consor North America, Inc. for the 2026 Sanitary Sewer Comprehensive Plan update and RH2 Engineering Inc. to assist the city with the 2026 Water Comprehensive Plan update.

– Reappointment of  Bonnie Mercer, a Friends of the Arts member; Dale Newman of the Nile Shriners and Councilmember Laura Sonmore to the Lodging Tax Advisory Committee for 2025.

– The agreement for finance software with Tyler Technologies. The company is moving to cloud-based software as a service model and no longer supports software installed on computer hard drives.

In addition, the Foundation for Edmonds School District updated the city council on the workforce development partnership. The report can be seen here.

Finally, Lina Luu of the Multicultural Association of Edmonds board received the proclamation for the Lunar New Year. Luu shared their upcoming event, Feb. 1, at the Edmonds Center for the Arts to celebrate the Year of the Snake.

The next city council meeting will start at 7 p.m., Feb. 6, at Mountlake Terrace City Hall, 23204 58th Ave. W., Mountlake Terrace. To attend the meeting online, visit zoom.us/join and enter meeting ID 810 1113 9518; no passcode is needed.

To make a public comment remotely, complete the registration form within 24 hours of the meeting’s start.

To listen via telephone, call 1-253-215-8782 and enter the same meeting ID.

You also can view livestreamed meetings and past video recordings at www.youtube.com/cityofmlt.

The agenda can be viewed here.

– By Rick Sinnett