(A) Complaints and all orders issued under this chapter shall be served by the code enforcement officer upon persons either personally or by certified mail. When service of a complaint or order is accomplished personally or by or certified mail, such service is hereby deemed to be complete on the day of delivery to or receipt by the person served. When service is made by certified mail, a copy of the complaint or order shall also be sent by regular mail. Service shall be deemed sufficient if the certified mail is unclaimed or refused and/or the regular mail is not returned by the post office within ten days after mailing. If regular mail is used, a notice of the pending proceedings shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises affected.
(B) If the identities of any owners or the whereabouts of persons are unknown and the same cannot be ascertained by the appropriate city officer in the exercise of reasonable diligence, or, if the owners are known but have refused to accept service by certified mail and the officer makes an affidavit to that effect, then the serving of such complaint or order upon the owners or other persons may be made by publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the city at least once per week or two successive weeks. When service is made by publication, a copy of the complaint or order shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises affected by the complaint or order; in the case of the complaint, it must be posted at least ten days prior to the hearing.
(C) Unless the noted violation presents an imminent threat to public safety, the code enforcement officer shall after having conducted a site inspection and recorded the apparent violations, communicate with the property owner(s) by sending a courtesy letter informing him or her of said violations. The courtesy communication shall offer the opportunity for a meeting at a mutually convenient time to discuss the noted violations and attempt a reasonable timetable for the property owner to voluntarily correct the noted violations. The courtesy communication period, including the opportunity to meet, shall not extend longer than 15 business days from the date of the courtesy letter. Neither the courtesy letter nor the aforementioned voluntary abatement period shall extend the abatement period specified in any official notice of violation.
(Ord. 2016-03-02, passed 3-28-2016; Ord. 2017-02-02, passed 2-13-2017, 2-27-2017)