Now in its 15th year, the program is part of the city’s ongoing commitment to keep neighborhoods and business districts clean, safe, and well maintained. The city inspects half of the city, or about 5,000 properties, each year looking for property code violations. This year, staff will focus on the southern half of Roseville.

A city staff member, wearing city identification and a reflective safety vest, will complete the inspections on foot looking for obvious violations that are clearly visible from the street.

Staff spend about 30 seconds reviewing each property and will photograph violations. Staff will immediately place yellow door hangers on properties where violations are spotted. Residents and business owners are asked to correct issues or contact the city if they have questions.

Roseville Building Official Dave Englund said the yellow door hangers are designed to be a gentle reminder so residents and business owners can correct issues before they become larger safety and health hazards.

“People live in their houses, so they are looking from the inside out. They don’t always notice issues,” Englund explained. “The point is to make residents aware of potential and current code violations on their property.”

In 2022, the city inspected about 5,000 properties on the north side of the city and found 613 violations. That number was an increase compared to recent years. That’s because city leaders relaxed inspections during the COVID-19 pandemic to lower stress on residents, but are now catching up, Englund said.

About 95 percent of residents who receive a yellow door hanger correct issues quickly, Englund said. 

The intent of the program is to seek voluntary compliance through education related to City Code. The most common violation observed in 2022 was inoperable and/or unregistered vehicles. All vehicles must be parked on a hard surface, must be legal to operate, and must have up-to-date license plates or tabs. Other common violations include grass or weeds taller than eight inches, and illegal outdoor storage of items including old tires, couches, appliances, indoor furniture, and lumber.

“We focus on issues neighbors routinely complain about,” Englund said. “We are that intermediary to address those issues.” Inspections run through August. City workers typically walk 120 miles each year as part of the enhancement program.

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