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Commercial Inspection Program
Commercial Standards
Commercial Standards is tasked with enforcing State legislation and City ordinances that involve commercial properties in order to ensure healthy, vital communities. The department helps to maintain property values and a strong City tax base. This is accomplished by inspecting commercial properties to ensure proper maintenance and compliance with minimum standards.
Common Commercial Property Violations
Commercial properties are visually inspected from the exterior an average of once per month. The following are the most common violations.
- Building Numbers & Suite Numbers
- Encroachments
- Exterior Paint
- Graffiti
- High Grass or Weeds
- Parking Lot Maintenance
- Parking Lot Striping
- Stacking of Vehicles
- Sign Maintenance
- Trash & Debris
Buildings shall have approved address numbers placed in a position to be plainly legible and visible from the street. The numbers shall contrast with their background and be a minimum of 6 inches high and minimum 0.5 inch stroke width. Individual suite numbers should a minimum of 3 inches high.
All encroachments (any object, structure, or vegetation) that fail to allow the lawful passage of vehicular and pedestrian traffic on any street, alley, easement, or sidewalk must be eliminated and/or maintained at all times. Overhanging tree limbs or shrubs over the street must be trimmed to the curb and 14 feet high from the ground.
Shrubs, tree limbs, etc. over the sidewalk (on both sides) must be trimmed to the sidewalk and up to eight feet high from the sidewalk. Tree limbs and shrubs in the alley must be trimmed so they do not extend more than one foot from the fence and up to 14 feet high from the ground.
Painted exterior surfaces must be maintained. Any peeling, flaking or chipped paint shall be eliminated and surfaces repainted.
Property owners are responsible for removing graffiti from buildings, fences and any other structures on the property. The City offers free graffiti removal for most occurrences. Contact your inspector for details.
Twelve inches is the height limit for grass and/or weeds. This includes the front, back, side yards and right-of-ways (area between the sidewalk and curb).
Also, the grass in any alley and/or easement (area behind the property) must be maintained to the mid-point.
Commercial parking lots must be free from potholes and cracks which may contain weeds or other vegetation, or changes in surface grade of one inch or greater. Materials used to repair parking lots must be of similar paving materials.
Parking space striping and fire lanes (if applicable) must be maintained to clearly designate those areas. Minimum parking space dimensions are 9 feet wide by 18 feet long designated by a 4 inch painted line.
All vehicles must be parked in marked parking spaces on approved parking surfaces meeting standard requirements for length, width, and drive aisle dimensions.
All drive aisles must remain unobstructed allowing unimpeded access and circulation. Minimum parking space dimensions are 9 feet wide by 18 feet long designated by a 4 inch painted line. Drive isles must be 24 feet wide.
Property owners must repair, maintain, or remove dilapidated or damaged signage including sign can or pole/posts.
All properties must remain free of trash and debris at all times. This includes trash in and around dumpster areas and alley/easements.