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1. How may I file a complaint?

In person: our office is located at 250 Main Street. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. 12:00 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Telephone: Our office number is 831-768-3050. You can call anytime during regular business hours and speak to a staff member to file your complaint. If the line is in use please leave your complaint information with your name and number. A staff member will call you back to get any additional information needed.

Online: Complaints may be filed online 24 hours a day, seven days a week by visiting our

Code Enforcement Complaints Form page.

2. Are complainants required to identify themselves?

Complainants must leave their name and number. This information is for City use only and will not be released to any other party.

To file a complaint online, please visit the Code Enforcement Complaints Form page.

3. How do I know if I have a violation on my property?

Code Enforcement has many methods of initiating contact. The standard Enforcement tool is the “Notice of Violation.” This is a printed or hand written hard copy document that lists general common violations and detailed required corrective actions to resolve the complaint. The Code Enforcement Officer may add more detailed descriptions of the violation, or describe other violations not listed on the form.

In most cases, Code Enforcement Officers will try to make contact with occupants by knocking on the door or ringing the doorbell. If there is no answer at the door, the Notice is left in a conspicuous place. The same Notice will also be mailed to the property owner of record.

For more information, visit the Code Enforcement page.

4. What happens if I have a violation?

Once a violation has been observed, it is the intent of Code Enforcement to have the property owner/resident to come into voluntary compliance. To accomplish this, the Code Enforcement Officer will issue a Notice and give timelines of 5 to 30 days to take whatever action is required to correct the problem. The Code Enforcement Officer has the option to give fewer days to correct the violation.

An example of a quicker correction period would be a vehicle under repair left unattended on blocks or jack stands or any life safety situation.

On the scheduled compliance date, a follow-up inspection will be conducted. If the violation is still on the property an Administrative Citations will be issued. Once the Administrative process is exhausted, it is possible that a civil court process may be initiated.

Visit the Code Enforcement page for more information.

5. What are common violations that occur within the City?

The Community Development Department receives numerous complaints, covering a wide range of problems. The following is a listing of some common complaints received:

Parking on un-improved surfaces: The City of Watsonville Municipal Code requires that all parking surfaces be of concrete or similar non-combustible materials. Parking in the required landscape areas, residential front yard areas in excess of 60% of the frontage or un-improved areas of the property is strictly prohibited.

Abandoned vehicles on private property: The storage of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles, or parts thereof, on private property, is hereby found to create a condition tending to reduce the value of private property, to promote blight and deterioration, to invite plundering, to create fire hazards, to constitute an attractive nuisance, to create a harborage for rodents and insects, and to be injurious to the health, safety, and general welfare. Therefore, the presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle, or part thereof, on private property, is hereby declared to constitute a public nuisance.

Overgrown and/or neglected landscaping: Lawns, grass or grass like ground coverings, hedges and bushes shall be trimmed and kept from becoming overgrown and unsightly where exposed to public view and where the same constitute a blighting factor depreciating adjoining property and impairing the good character of the immediate residential or commercial neighborhood.

Moveable or Temporary Structures: Tents, canopies and/or metal storage sheds are not permitted in areas visible from the public right of way.
Abandoned Personal Property: Property Owners are responsible to maintain areas between the curb and front of the house free of litter, weeds, trash, refuse, debris or abandoned personal property or storage of things such as furniture, appliances, plumbing fixtures, equipment, and like devices.

To learn more about Code Enforcement, visit the Code Enforcement page.

6. What can I do if I get a notice and do not understand what the violation is?

Call your Code Enforcement Officer. The front lower portion of the notice contains the phone number of the issuing Enforcement Officer. Code Enforcement encourages you to call, not only if you have received a violation, but also to answer any questions you may have regarding your neighborhood. Code Enforcement is here to work with you to ensure that our community will remain a highly valued place to reside.

If you have further questions, please call Code Enforcement at 831-768-3050.