El Dorado County Supervisors are considering an amnesty program for existing homes. Some owners are not aware of work on their home by former owners that may not be compliant with county regulations.

What will the county policies or objectives be for current or future property owners? Will they have to pay or comply with demands, building codes or inspections? Will solar systems or interior sprinkler systems be required?

In my opinion, there seems to be increased activity of demands directed at current homeowners. This is usually based on the building department or code enforcement contending that something must comply with current regulations. Some charges referenced by planning, code enforcement or the building department refer back to 2, 3 or more previous ownerships. Fines demanded or compliance may represent thousands of dollars. My experience with clients is that as the current owner, may have to pay, comply or prove innocence. Some owners may not be able to cure violations or may not be able to afford paying the fine.

It's my understanding that the El Dorado County Building Department records did not exist prior to about 1965. I hear, many building records prior to 1970 were lost by the building department. Plus, some of their records may not be accurate? So where does the Building Department or code enforcement obtain their information?

The planning department has been preparing an Amnesty Proposal to be submitted to our supervisors. They are reviewing other out of area county or city amnesty programs. However, the Placer County "Amnesty Programs'' appears not to have been included for consideration? They have provided policies over the past few years to resolve these issues that are similar to ours. Part of their overview is a method to increase the stock of housing units and to incentivize owners to legalize their non complying homes. Permitting these units allows jurisdictions to balance the need to provide housing plus address health and safety issues. Plus, many new state laws are mandating an increase in housing units.

The planning department is supposed to submit a final proposal to our supervisors in a few weeks. Meanwhile, we need to express our thoughts or experiences to our supervisors.

1ST District: John Hidahl, First Vice Chair

Phone: (530) 621-5650

2nd District: George Turnboo, Second Vice Chair

Phone: (530) 621-5651

3rd District: Wendy Thomas, Chair

Phone: (530) 621-5652

4th District: Lori Parlin

Phone: (530) 621-6513

5th District: Brooke Laine

Phone: (530) 621-6577