8.60.130 Response to notice of civil violation.
A. Generally. A person who has been served with a notice of civil violation must respond to the notice within fourteen days of the date the notice is served or within such other time period as specified in the notice of civil violation. A person may respond to the notice of civil violation by:
1. Paying the amount of the monetary penalty as set forth in the notice of violation. Partial payment or payment using a check that is rejected for insufficient funds shall not be deemed payment under this subsection. Payment of the fine shall not relieve the person or entity responsible for the violation from the duty to correct or abate the violation. Additional notices of violation may be issued if the violation goes uncorrected;
2. Entering into a voluntary correction agreement with the city;
3. Contesting the notice of civil violation by requesting a contested hearing in writing and sending the request to the city as described in subsection (B) of this section; or
4. Seeking to mitigate the monetary penalty by requesting a mitigation hearing to explain the circumstances surrounding the violation. The request to mitigate must be made in writing and sent to the city with a one-hundred-dollar filing fee as described in subsection (B) of this section. Requesting to mitigate the penalty shall not relieve the person responsible for the violation from the duty to correct or abate the violation. Additional notices of violation may be issued if the violation goes uncorrected.
B. Method of Response. The person or entity to whom a notice of civil violation has been issued may respond by mailing or hand-delivering the response to the city clerk. Mailed responses must be received no later than the fourteenth day from the date of service of the notice of violation or such other day as specified in the notice of violation. Hand-delivered responses must be brought to the city clerk no later than four thirty p.m. on the fourteenth day after service or such other day as specified in the notice of violation; provided, that where the fourteenth or other specified day falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline shall be extended to the next regular business day. Telephone, facsimile, or email responses shall not satisfy the requirements of this section. The response deadline may be stayed for a time certain by the code enforcement officer if the responsible person or entity is engaged in active discussions with the code enforcement officer and the code enforcement officer determines there is a reasonable probability that such discussions may result in compliance.
C. If the person to whom the notice of civil violation is issued fails to respond as required in the notice of civil violation and this chapter, the violation(s) shall be deemed committed without requiring further action by the city or the city’s hearing examiner, and the person to whom the notice of civil violation was issued shall owe the monetary penalty indicated.