Federal Way code cracking down on everything from boats to grass

Published 10:56 am Tuesday, July 29, 2008

John Micciche has always known owning a boat is expensive. But he never imagined it could cost him hundreds of dollars a day.

Micciche, 45, learned the hard way when he was issued a $100 ticket from the city June 3 for parking his 30-foot boat on his property. Federal Way code states recreational vehicles more than 22 feet long and nine feet tall can’t be stored on residential property.

But that was news to Micciche, whose boat and several other vehicles had been parked on the Dash Point Road property since he moved four years ago. He had never been ticketed before.

“I can’t believe they’re ticketing me for having my boat on my property,” Micciche said. “This is a boating community. Everyone around here has a boat.”

City officials can issue tickets to residents whose property is not in compliance with codes that forbid everything from junk cars to overgrown grass. Before the amendment, the city often looked the other way when there were violations or when violators refused to pay their fines.

Due to a city code amendment made in October 2007, the city can now take residents to court to collect. It’s part of a more aggressive approach necessary for violators, according to code compliance officer Becky Lemke.

“I think it will take a little while for people to catch on,” she said. “We have to be firm but fair. I’m used to being the bad guy.”

Multiple tickets can be issued for up to $300 each, and a letter from the city to Micciche warns a ticket “may be issued for each and every day” the violation is still present.

Micciche, who has since received another ticket for $200, fears he might be charged $300 a day until his boat is gone or until his court appearance Sept. 26.

Lemke said late court dates like Micciche’s have made enforcing the policy difficult.

“They’re setting court dates too far in advance,” Lemke said, noting violators stay out of compliance until their case is heard in Federal Way Municipal Court.

According to court administrator Rae Iwamoto, code compliance hearings are heard only once a month. The 16 hearings requested since February for code compliance issues are minimal compared to the 7,700 criminal and traffic hearings held in the same time span.

But some code compliance hearings are scheduled for as far out as November, Iwamoto said.

In the time before his hearing is heard, Micciche said he can’t afford putting his boat in a storage facility or paying hundreds of dollars for more tickets he could be issued.

And since receiving the first ticket, he’s made an effort to clean up his property. He gave away a motor home, cut down six overgrown trees, got rid of a few vehicles and moved his boat, which he’s had for sale for almost two years, closer to his house.

Micciche points out several other properties in the neighborhood that “are clearly out of compliance,” wondering why they haven’t been ticketed. Micciche was cited because the city received complaints, said Lemke.

Micciche has a bad back and has had to pay for other people to move things around on his property. It’s hardly fair for him to be ticketed, said his neighbor Jana, who declined to give her last name.

“If code enforcement is out enforcing code, they need to be applying it equally,” she said. “There’s a whole lot of other people out of compliance in this neighborhood.”

Contact Joshua Lynch: jlynch@fedwaymirror.com or (253) 925-5565