Code Enforcement

During these uncertain times Code Enforcement’s priority is for all residents and businesses to stay safe and prevent being exposed to the COVID-19 virus.   Keeping your property in compliance with the Fort Lupton Municipal Code furthers the goals of a safe and healthy community.

As summer begins to approach, some of the most common violated code ordinances will begin to arise. Below are the common violated Code ordinances.

Sec. 7-81. – Unlawful weed, grass, or brush growth

It is unlawful for any person, corporation or other entity who is the owner, lessee, occupant or person in control of any lot, tract or parcel of land in the City to permit or maintain on any such lot, tract or parcel of land or on, or along the sidewalk, street or alley adjacent to the same, between the property line and the curb or middle of the alley way or to the edge of the roadway if no curb exists, any growth of weeds, grass or brush to a height greater than six (6) inches or in any manner that would constitute a fire hazard.
(Ord. 539 §3, 1985; Ord. 628 §3, 1992; Ord. 2014-978 §1)

Sec. 7-31. – Accumulation to constitute nuisances

Whenever there shall be in or upon any lot or piece of ground within the limits of the City any damaged merchandise, litter, trash, rubbish, garbage, wrecked car, inoperable cars or other wrecked vehicles or an accumulation of junk vehicles or junk of any type upon any private or public property, except in areas specifically zoned by the Zoning Ordinance of the City for said purposes or otherwise designated by the City for such purposes, the existence of any such material or items shall constitute a nuisance and shall be in violation of this Article.
(Ord. 645 §1, 1993)

Sec. 7-36. – Nuisances enumerated

(h) Derelict vehicles. Vehicle(s) stored outside for more than five (5) days which are wrecked, dismantled, disabled (such as having windows broken out or boarded up) or inoperable or which would be unlawful or unsafe to operate on public streets are nuisances. As used in this Section, the term stored shall mean temporary or permanent parking or placement of a vehicle not in use as transportation. It shall be prima facie evidence that a vehicle is stored if it is wrecked, dismantled, disabled or inoperable or unsafe to operate on public streets. Abatement of such nuisances shall consist of (1) restoring the vehicle to lawful, safe, operating condition, or (2) storage within an enclosed structure, or (3) removal from the City; in accordance with Section 7-8.

Sec. 8-52. – Unlawful Parking

(d) No person shall park or cause to be parked any motor home, personal trailer, camper trailer, camper, boat or boat trailer on any street or alley within the City longer than temporarily while being prepared for use or being cleaned up from use away from the premises. Such temporary placement may last up to forty-eight (48) hours, but trying to avoid the intent of this Section by moving the unit a short distance or driving it around the block does not start a new forty-eight-hour period. The City Council may establish, by resolution, permits and fees to allow limited occasional temporary parking of recreational vehicles on residential streets and alleys. It is the intent of this Section to prohibit the use of the public streets and alleys for storage of these units, and doing so is unlawful. Vehicles parked in violation of this Section shall be subject to towing, after a one-time only warning, by the City without notice at the expense of the owner; and vehicles towed shall have a lien upon them by the City or by the tow company for towing and storage charges and shall be held until paid, or sold if charges are not paid within thirty (30) days.

The city’s code enforcement officer(s), working from the Fort Lupton Planning and Building Department, patrol the city regularly looking for violations of the city’s code. In addition to complaints received by phone or by walk-in citizens at our location at 130 S McKinley Avenue, some complaints are anonymous.

The code enforcement officer(s) will investigate all complaints and enforce codes once complaints are deemed valid. On validating a complaint, be it a code or parking complaint, the officer will typically issue either a Notice of Violation or a Parking Citation to the occupant and / or owner of the property or vehicle. Most of the time, the problem exists simply because the owner is unaware of the provisions of the code.

Summons & Citations

For code violations, the violator is normally given a period of time to correct the problem, usually seven days. However; this is at the officer’s discretion, and the violator may be issued a citation immediately if the situation dictates immediate action to be necessary. If the problem is not resolved, the officer may issue a summons for the violator to appear in Municipal Court for an arraignment. For a parking citation, the fines are specified on the ticket, and the violator can pay the fine to the city, or request a hearing with the court.

Court Appearance

The desired result of code enforcement is voluntary compliance with the code. While a court appearance is in no one’s best interest, the Code Enforcement Officer will not be reluctant to pursue court cases. For those cases referred to court, penalties can include up to $1,000 in fines, up to 90 days in jail, or useful community service. Any combination of the above can be imposed for each day a violation exists. In addition, the judge can order the city to abate the problem at the expense of the property owner, and add an administrative fee to the actual cost of clean up.

To contact Code Enforcement directly you can call 720-928-4050.