Cheers and Jeers for Scottsdale Housing Code

Recent enforcement of the Scottsdale housing code reflects the city´s effort to revitalize south Scottsdale by "making the place look nicer." The city has crews and programs that "organize neighborhood cleanups, replace dirt lawns with gravel, remove weeds from alleys and build enclosures for dumpsters."

But the city also has Scottsdale housing code enforcement officers, who are currently addressing thousands of problems. "In the areas where that enforcement is most actively taking place, some neighbors say the city has become overzealous," fining people for what it considers eyesores on private property.

Malcom Hankins, the Scottsdale housing code enforcement manager, disagrees. "We try to be consistent in our application of the ordinance throughout the city," he says. "We use due process - notices, telephone calls. We try everything we can to gain voluntary compliance." And for every resident that complains about strict enforcement of the Scottsdale housing code, Hankins claims that there are many happy to see officials cracking down.