RANDOLPH COUNTY, NC--We have all probably dealt with it or at least seen a situation where someone else has. A few too many discarded items left in the front yard, an old car that hasn’t run in years, a pile of trash that keeps growing rather than shrinking.
Let’s face it not all homeowners or tenants are clean and considerate. Some just let the junk and trash pile up all over their yard. One of those places is on Quaker Road in Randolph County, “It looks like a landfill and it shouldn’t look like this,” said Ms. Debbie.
The property has a double wide trailer in the yard surrounded by several rusted and non-working vehicles. At one point the renters dug a big pit and started to throw garbage in it, “It cringes me, makes me sick to my stomach,” said Ms. Debbie.
Neighbors like Ms. Debbie have been dealing with a series of renters who have all contributed to the mess. In the front yard you can see a blackened area with burnt items it appears were burned to get rid of trash or unwanted junk.
Neighbors reached out to Randolph County Code Enforcement, inspectors investigated the claim and sent a violation notice to the homeowner. After 30 days with no noticeable attempt to clean up the property the county cited the homeowner and fined him $500, “You can’t just pile up garbage out back, it draws vermin and is unhealthy,” said Jay Dale with Randolph County Planning and Zoning.
In this situation the county would cite and fine the homeowner two more times, each citation carrying a $500 fine. The homeowner did start to clean up some of the mess, but the property was still not up to code, and the case was turned over to the Randolph County Attorney’s Office, “I want our Randolph County Officials to do what they are supposed to do,” said Ms. Debbie.
The frustrating part for neighbors is that the process is often extremely slow and can take months, even years before a fix is made. In this case the court dates have been delayed and re-scheduled for a variety of reasons. The homeowner could eventually be found guilty of contempt of court and be jailed for anywhere from a 14 to 30 days, “The judge can issue a bench warrant and you can be put in jail.” said Dale.
The problem for neighbors living by the home is that despite going to jail the homeowner may still not clean up the trash and debris. The county does not have the money or manpower to go in and clean it up so it can remain that way until the owner does clean it.
Now if there was an extreme health threat or risk to neighbors the county would work with the health department to remove any items that could be dangerous.
County officials tell us in most cases the homeowner is receptive and works with the county to clean up the property but in some cases, they simply refuse, can’t afford to clean it up or are dealing with other issues.
If you have a neighbor that is dumping garbage or trash or storing a bunch of scrap items or non-working vehicles on their property you can contact the county and it will send a code enforcement officer out. If the property is deemed in violation a 30-day notice will be sent to the homeowner allowing them a month to clean it up. If the mess remains the county will start fining them. Homeowners are again given 30 days to clean up the property and receive a $500. After three citations and fines totaling $1,500 are sent out the case is sent to the County Attorney’s Office.
As for the case Ms. Debbie is focused on, the homeowner is scheduled to be in court on March 27th, where he could learn if he will be found guilty and sentenced to jail.