The following is a press release issued by the County of Mendocino:
On September 12, 2023, the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors provided direction to Planning and Building Services to establish a one-year amnesty program that waives all Violation/Penalty fees related to building permits submitted after work has already commenced or been completed, which are not associated with a confirmed code enforcement case.
The amnesty program applies to all residential and commercial building permits, subject to the following limitations:
- The permits are not associated with a confirmed code enforcement case.
- The permits are not already under review with the Department.
- The program does not apply to zoning violations.
- Amnesty building permits for residential construction will be subject to meeting the building code standards for the year in which we can verify the construction occurred. If no construction date can be verified, they will be subject to current building code standards.
Amnesty building permits must meet all standards for the zoning district in which they are located.
This program is limited to one year starting November 1, 2023 and ending November 1, 2024. All amnesty building permit applications must be submitted on or before November 1, 2024 in order to be eligible for this program.
All members of the public are invited to self-report any unpermitted structures and legalize improvements during this Amnesty Program.
If you have specific questions regarding the process, please contact the Mendocino County Department of Planning and Building Services at (707) 234-6650 or email pbs@mendocinocounty.gov.
Peoples whose properties have been burned out by natural disasters should be exempt. Trying to work with the county to rebuild was a disaster in itself. Much of north redwood valley is still in trailers or has unpermitted sheds holding building materials. Some post-fire homesteaders follow the rules, some don’t and there is no rhyme or reason to who gets the county called on them. It seems that those with personal connections to county employees(small town shit) get their unpermitted structures overlooked.