Is your yard a mess? Clean it up, or else

Seattleites with run-down homes and junk-filled yards would face steeper fines and a greater threat of criminal charges under a plan proposed by Mayor Greg Nickels Thursday.

"To keep our neighborhoods safe and livable, we need to have owners who take … reasonable care to ensure that they don't become a nuisance," Nickels said.

The stiffer penalties are aimed at cracking down on chronically scofflaw property owners who foul their neighborhoods with problems such as trashed cars, rusty outdoor debris and unchecked weeds that overtake sidewalks and streets, the mayor's office said.

At the most egregious properties, mountains of fermenting garbage bags and other clutter become havens for rats, latrines for the homeless and shelter for drug users and others criminals, neighborhood activists say.

"It creates a significant fire hazard," Teresa Lord Hugel, director of the Greater University Chamber of Commerce. And "it provides a huge health hazard in a lot of ways."

Seattle receives about 2,500 complaints of such problems each year, the mayor's office said. Last year, the city collected more than $137,000 in fines.

Nickels proposed new laws would not create new standards for land use or building maintenance. Instead, they would:

Boost fines for land-use violations, including bans against parking on front lawns or using residential lots for car repairs and junk storage. Penalties would increase from $75 daily to $150. After 10 days, the city would levy $500 daily fines;

Increase penalties for failure to comply with housing maintenance standards, such as requirements for locks and smoke alarms, utility service and proper stairwell railings. Fines would increase from $15 a day to $150. After 10 days of noncompliance, they would be $500 daily;

Lower the threshold for filing criminal charges against extremely negligent property owners. Under mayor's plan, the city would no longer need to wait until a court had issued a judgment against the property owner. The idea is to prevent the worst landlords from dragging out civil cases only on settle at the last minute and avoid jail time, officials said.

"It's pretty simple. It's, kind of, common sense for most of us and most of us can comply with rules without being reminded," he said. "But there are a few who simply don't care or don't come close to meeting the minimum standards that we have."

The council will likely review the measure later this spring.

"This is overdue and appropriate and a quality of life issue that needs greater attention," said City Councilman Peter Steinbrueck, who chairs the urban planning and development committee. "The enforcement provocations are called for.

"It seems like we've been ill-equipped to deal with them in the past," Steinbrueck said. "So I hope this helps."

SEE FOR YOURSELF

To learn more about the city’s code enforcement program or file a complaint, go to www.seattle.gov/dpd/Enforcement/Code_Compliance or call 206-615-0808.