Code Enforcement

Code Enforcement matters may by reported utilizing MyHB.  Please note that reports of non-essential business operations should be reported to the Police Department via email at [email protected].

Contact Code Enforcement
Request Hotline: 714-375-5155

Effective March 9, 2023:

If you wish to report a complaint about a potential Municipal or Zoning Code violation by a business located within a commercial, mixed use or industrial zone in Huntington Beach, please submit the following information through the City's MyHB App or website at https://huntingtonbeachca.gov/services/report-issue:

A. A detailed description of the complaint regarding the business in question

B. Your name and contact information (i.e. phone number and/or email address)

C. A photo of your Driver’s License, State-Issued ID, or City of Huntington Beach Employee Badge.

The City is unable to accept, process, or investigate your complaint without all three items, per HBMC 1.18.025.

For questions, please email [email protected].

To determine which zone the business is located in, please use the City's Zoning Map at:

www.huntingtonbeachca.gov/about/maps/zoning.pdf

Submit Request
 

"Keeping Huntington Beach a Beautiful Place to Live, Work, and Play."

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Mission

The mission of the Code Enforcement Program is to promote a healthy community environment through education and communication.

Purpose

The City of Huntington Beach is committed to maintaining and improving the quality of life throughout the community including residential neighborhoods and commercial and industrial areas.  To help achieve this goal, the City has adopted codes that ensure a safe and healthy environment.

Code Enforcement Service Goals and Standards

What is Code Enforcement?

The Code Enforcement program enforces municipal codes pertaining to substandard housing, property maintenance and land-use in an effort to upgrade residential properties to the standards set forth in the Uniform Housing Code.  The program initiates community teamwork through public education, participation in Task Force groups and public cooperation.

Code Enforcement officers respond to citizen complaints submitted to the City, in addition to initiating proactive enforcement as appropriate.  On-site inspections and public education are major components of Code Enforcement's functions as well as collaboration with City departments, task force groups and outside agencies.

Other functions include:

  • Working with business owners, Neighborhood Associations and home owners to resolve code enforcement issues.
  • Facilitating issues involving neighborhood problems/issues to assist in achieving resolution.
  • Empowering the community through self-help programs to resolve and prevent code enforcement issues.
  • Educating the public regarding City Codes and Resolutions relative to property maintenance, abandoned vehicles, home businesses and Housing Code regulations.
  • Administering fair, unbiased enforcement of Municipal Code violations and Zoning Regulations.
  • Working with applicants to apply for and maintain Newsracks on Public Property.

Code Enforcement Resources

Division Staffing

The Code Enforcement Division is staffed by eight personnel, including five Code Enforcement Officers and one Code Enforcement Technician assigned to specific enforcement areas within the City.  Additionally, the Code Enforcement Supervisor provides field support to the officers and assistance with more challenging cases requiring specific expertise and extensive experience.

These six officers have cumulatively over 100 years of code enforcement experience among them, and have achieved numerous certifications from professional organizations such as the California Association of Code Enforcement Officers (CACEO), the American Association of Code Enforcement (AACE), and the International Conference of Building Officials (ICBO). This continued professional growth ensures they remain informed and aware of the most current enforcement techniques, regulations and legislation pertaining to Code Enforcement.

Neighborhood Preservation ProgramSee a Problem? Contact Code Enforcement Here

Residents and other interested parties are encouraged to report suspected violations or eyesores on private property to the Code Enforcement Division. You can file a complaint online. Please include the following information:

  • Location (address) of the alleged violation
  • Brief description of the complaint
  • Contact information (name, address, phone, or email)
  • Whether or not a code enforcement officer may contact you
After receiving the complaint, a Code Enforcement Officer will investigate the problem (normally within 1 to 7 days). Your identity will not be disclosed to the offending party.

You can also call Code Enforcement at (714) 375-5155 to report a suspected violation or speak to Code Enforcement personnel.

“ Keeping Huntington Beach a Beautiful Place to Live, Work, and Play.”

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Click on image above to enlarge

Proceso de Violaciones al Codigo

Preserving our Neighborhoods:

The City of Huntington Beach is known throughout the nation as one the best places to live, work and play.  The quality of life of any community is reflected by the quality of its neighborhoods.  While the majority of Huntington Beach Neighborhoods enjoy a high quality of life, the City is taking proactive steps now to preserve and enhance the quality of its neighborhoods for the future.  The time is always appropriate to become concerned with the quality of your neighborhood.

The Neighborhood Preservation Program is designed to develop community partnerships between the City, its residents, and neighborhoods.  Through the development of these partnerships, the City hopes to foster participation, communication, and pride among residents and encourage them to work with their neighbors and City representatives to eliminate and prevent blight conditions, while enhancing the appearance, quality of life, and community spirit of their neighborhoods.

Neighborhood Preservation vs. Code Enforcement:

Neighborhood Preservation and Code Enforcement are similar in function and purpose, in that both strive to eliminate blight and improve the quality of life throughout the community.  However, how the two achieve their results is somewhat different.

The traditional method by which most cities addressed quality of life and blight conditions in neighborhoods was to utilize Code Enforcement to address individual properties that did not meet city standards for property maintenance as outlined in the City’ s Municipal Code and Zoning Code.  Code Enforcement is mostly reactive and usually includes issuing notices of violation, citations, legal action, and city initiated abatement to bring properties into compliance with city standards.  While Code Enforcement is effective in addressing problems on an individual basis, it does not typically address the underlying factors, which may have led to the violations occurring (and possibly recurring) in a neighborhood in the first place. 

Neighborhood Preservation, on the other hand, is mostly preventive, focuses not only on individual properties, but the overall quality of life in the surrounding neighborhood, and looks for a nexus between the conditions of the neighborhood and the solutions to improving the neighborhood.  Neighborhood Preservation looks toward education, empowerment, and the establishment of community partnerships and pride to help address conditions in neighborhoods and improve the quality of life.  However, Neighborhood Preservation also utilizes Code Enforcement as one of its many tools to help accomplish its goals when necessary.

How to Help Improve Your Neighborhood:

If you are interested in improving and preserving the quality of life in your neighborhood, there are several ways to do so. Whether it be establishing a neighborhood group to discuss neighborhood issues and establishing priorities, becoming a neighborhood advocate to work with your neighbors and the City to help address these issues, or by simply educating yourself on what the City standards are and how to be a good neighbor, the Neighborhood Preservation Program can help you to help improve your neighborhood. 

For more information on Neighborhood Preservation, contact Code Enforcement at 714-536-5271.

Automated, basic Code Enforcement case information now available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

The community can now receive basic information regarding current code enforcement cases 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, thanks to enhancements to the City’ s Interactive Voice Recognition (IVR) and permitting system. Interested parties can call the City’ s Automated Inspection Line at (714) 536-5241, and press “ 22” . Callers can then enter in the Code Enforcement Case number (if known) or the address number and street name for a property to access information regarding the status of a particular case. Information that can be obtained includes:

• Description of complaint/violation and date the officer inspected the property
• Status of the complaint (open, not valid, or in compliance)

After listening to the case status information, callers can also have this information sent to any fax machine by pressing “ 5” and entering in their fax number.
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