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<br />D. In administering the provisions of this chapter, the Code Enforcement Officer shall have the <br />authority to waive any one or more such provisions so as to avoid substantial injustice; provided <br />that substantial injustice may not be based exclusively on financial hardship. <br />1.20.080 Procedures for Responding to Code Complaints and Violations. <br />A. Authority. The Code Enforcement Officer may determine, based upon information derived from <br />sources including but not limited to field observations, the statements of witnesses, relevant <br />documents, and data systems for tracking violations and applicable city codes and regulations, <br />whether a violation has occurred. Once the Code Enforcement Officer has reasonable cause to <br />determine that a violation has occurred, the violation shall be documented, and Code <br />Enforcement Officer may conduct or take all appropriate or necessary inspections, investigations <br />and actions. The Code Enforcement Officer shall not be required to notify any person when the <br />Code Enforcement Officer determines that no violation has occurred. <br />B. Enforcement Actions. In order to promote compliance with the code and/or to discourage public <br />nuisances, the Code Enforcement Officer may, in accordance with applicable law and in response <br />to inspections, field observations, reports, investigations or reliable complaints, determine that <br />violations of the code have occurred or are or may be occurring, and may take the following <br />enforcement actions, in whole or in part, and in any order appropriate to the violation: <br />1. Corrective Action Notice. <br />2. Voluntary compliance agreement. <br />3. Notice and Order. <br />4. Stop Work Order. <br />5. Suspend, revoke, or modify any permit, license or approval. <br />6. Impose fines, penalties, and/or recover costs incurred by the city. <br />7. Criminal enforcement. <br />C. Criteria for Determination. When determining what kind of enforcement action to take, the Code <br />Enforcement Officer may consider a number of relevant factors and criteria, including but not <br />limited to life safety considerations, the severity of the public impact of the violation, the time <br />and cost to abate the violation, the likelihood to recover any costs of abatement, and the available <br />city resources to abate the violation. <br />D. Enforcement Actions in Writing. All enforcement actions will be in writing unless otherwise <br />provided in this chapter. Failure to use a specific form or type of enforcement action as described <br />herein, or minor defects in the form of such enforcement action, shall not affect the validity <br />thereof. <br />E. Service. Service of enforcement actions issued pursuant to this chapter shall be made using one <br />or more of the following methods; except that civil and criminal infractions and citations shall be <br />served as provided in Chapter 7.80 RCW as applicable: