The City established the Code Enforcement Board in 2001. The Board is comprised of five (5) members, all of whom are Mary Esther residents from different walks of life. The Board was established to hear appeals from our residents concerning ordinance/code violations. The Code Compliance Officer, through surveillance and citizens complaints, investigates to validate the complaint. If the complaint is confirmed as a violation of City ordinances, then the alleged violator is taken through steps to bring the property into compliance. If all efforts fail, then the alleged violator stands before the Code Enforcement Board. The Board hears both sides of the case and then renders a decision of whether the alleged violator is indeed in violation of City ordinances. Additional time is provided to the alleged violator to bring the property into compliance. If the property is NOT brought into compliance within the time frame the Board declares, then the Board may impose fines, up to $250.00 per day, for the first offense and $500.00 for the second offense, until the violation is abated. Also, the Board may impose an administrative fee to offset the cost of manpower, time and resources to prosecute a case. Of course, any violator may appeal any decision to the City Council.

The City averages eighty-five (85) cases per year. This includes validated complaints through the City's complaint system.

Code Compliance Citizen Complaint Form in PDF format