Code Enforcement Officer
Chad Stevens

220 N. Chestnut Street
Jefferson, IA 50129
(515) 386-4660
(515) 386-4671 (f)
chads@cityofjeffersoniowa.org

Available Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Responsibilities of the Code Enforcement Officer

The Code Enforcement Officer is responsible for handling inspections, all nuisance complaints and procedures to comply with the zoning laws and approved plans, local and state ordinances, specifications, and standards.

It is the city’s policy to investigate and attempt to resolve all code violations. However, because of limited code enforcement resources, there may be times when all code violations cannot be given the same level of attention.

The city has established the following priority ranking for code violations:

Priority Cases: Priority shall be given for those violations that present an imminent threat to public health or safety; violations affecting rivers, streams and/or other adjacent wetland areas; violations of land uses, including failure to meet deadlines of conditional approvals; violations consisting of ongoing unpermitted construction. 
Habitual Violator Cases: Priority shall be given to code violations in which the property owner has had three or more violations in a thirty-six (36) month period of time. 
Non-Priority Cases: Complaints alleging code violations that do not fall within the priority ranking above should be processed in the order in which the complaints are received, and as code enforcement resources allow. Typical nuisances include:

  • Offensive smells,
  • Filth or noisome substances,
  • Impeding the passage of any river or collection of water,
  • Blocking public and private ways,
  • Water pollution,
  • Billboards,
  • Storing of flammable junk,
  • Air pollution,
  • Weeds and brush,
  • Dutch Elm Disease,
  • Airport air space,
  • Houses of ill fame,
  • Junk and junk vehicles,
  • Animal protection and control,
  • Storage and disposal of solid waste,
  • Dangerous buildings, and
  • Trees.

If you are experiencing a nuisance, please download and complete the form below. When the city provides Notice to Abate, the city must describe the nuisance, provide the location of the nuisance, provide a suggestion of action to abate the nuisance, and provide a reasonable time within which to complete the abatement. If not abated the city will abate it and assess the costs against such person.

 

Planning & Zoning Agenda 

 

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