Story Created:
May 21, 2009 at 3:19 PM PST
Story Updated:
May 21, 2009 at 3:19 PM PST
COMPTON — Citing what officials call a zero-tolerance policy on safety code violations, code enforcement officers here are cracking down on illegal garage conversions.
These conversions, in which areas for automobile storage are modified into living spaces, are “a major problem,” said City Manager Charles Evans. “Our problem is that many of our garages are converted illegally and they don’t meet the health and safety requirements. And they pose a danger and a safety hazard to the people who occupy them.”
Evans added: “In some cases, it’s more — they’ve put in unpermitted ceilings that could collapse during an earthquake, they put in extra electrical boxes that can short out. We’ve had pipes blow out and we’ve had our water mains burst, because we have so many people on one line.”
If the city becomes aware of an illegal garage conversion, the building and safety department is dispatched to the location, where officers cite the owner and declare the property substandard until all fines and fees are paid, and the garage is brought in line with the code. According to a March 2008 staff report, at least 800 citations have been issued since the city took a more proactive approach to uncovering violators.
Sometimes the conversions are rented out to families, who are then left without shelter when the city enforces safety codes. Others purchase homes with illegal garage conversion already on the site. Those buyers are responsible for the costs associated with the reconversion, not the previous homeowner or tenant.
In instances where additional illegal activities are taking place — such as drugs, prostitution, selling unsafe food and loitering by gang members — the city attorney’s office plays a role. Property seizure and harsher penalties can result in cases where a house is declared a public nuisance.
The total costs associated with reconverting a garage — including fees and fines — depends on how extensive the conversion is, but it can far exceed $1,000.
“We [also] have problems with vacant homes, weed abatement issues [and] vacant lots,” he added. “Garage conversions are only part of it and we are taking an overall stance of zero tolerance on all code violations.”
The city’s move to crack down on code violations began more than three years ago. But a 2007 Long Beach fire, in which three children living in a garage were killed after a faulty heating system malfunctioned, convinced officials to take a more aggressive tack.
“From the outside, a lot of these conversions look like they are garages but on the inside there is a wall,” said Deputy Fire Chief Marcel Melanson. He said the lack of a proper exit endangers both residents and the fire fighters who might be called on to rescue them. “It definitely poses a danger to our fire fighters when they are working in that type of environment.”
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