Mayor's Office Press Release

October 9, 2020 -- The City of Houston joins municipalities across the country in the observance of National Code Compliance Month during October to recognize the important role city code enforcement officers play to help maintain safe communities.

During the pandemic, Houston code enforcement officers continue their work as essential workers, deploying to locations throughout the city to inspect homes, apartments, commercial buildings, streets and sidewalks for the safety of Houstonians.

“Our code enforcement officers are certified, highly qualified professionals with a demanding and challenging job,” said Mayor Sylvester Turner. “They are constantly in the public eye, called upon to apply their knowledge, expertise and community relations skills to deliver excellent customer service.  They  interact with residents, property owners, city officials and commissions to enforce city codes and keep our city up to standards, clear of blight, nuisances and public safety hazards. During National Code Compliance Month, we invite Houstonians to join us as we proudly thank them for their hard work, professionalism and dedication to serving our city.”

The city’s cadre of code enforcement officers work under several city departments, including the Department of Neighborhoods (DON), the Houston Fire Department (HFD) and Houston Public Works (HPW).

“The quality of life and safety of all city residents depends on the enforcement of the city’s municipal code,” said DON director TaKasha Francis. ‘We proudly recognize the work our inspectors, crews, support staff and managers carry out year-round to improve the living environment for residents across the city. Our code enforcement officers inspect for compliance on single-family residential property as pertains to overgrown lots, dangerous buildings, junk accumulation, inoperable motor vehicles and graffiti. They enforce codes that prohibit bandit signs on city property and right of way. They also educate residents about how to correct and avoid code violations, aiming for property owner code compliance to avoid the cost of taxpayer dollars for abatements. Further, their work helps keep our communities safe and clean, lowers crime rates, decreases urban decay and illnesses, and increases economic vitality in neighborhoods.”

“We are extremely proud of our department’s code enforcement officers from the Life Safety Bureau and the work they do to keep the public safe,” said HFD Chief Samuel Peña. “They not only conduct inspections to identify and eliminate hazards that help prevent accidents and injury to residents, but also support fire safety community education. Our code enforcement officers work in teams, assigned to high rise buildings, haz-mat, institutions, special operations, schools, general occupancy, apartments, hotels and motels. I take this opportunity to thank them for the fine work they do in protecting our great city.”

“At Houston Public Works, together we create a strong foundation for Houston to thrive,” said HPW director Carol Haddock. “We review, issue permits for, and inspect more than 30,000 projects each year. Our 200 code officers make sure that buildings where people live and play are safe and that our streets, drainage systems, sidewalks, water and wastewater connections, and even our signs are built to City of Houston codes. Thank you to all the code officers in the City for their dedication to making sure our community is safe and projects comply with Houston’s codes.”

Learn more about city code enforcement:
Department of Neighborhoods: www.houstontx.gov/ips
Houston Public Works: www.houstonpermittingcenter.org/building-code-enforcement
Houston Fire Department:  www.houstontx.gov/fire/HFMO

To report code violations:
Call 3-1-1, submit a report online at www.houston311.org, or send an email to 311@houstontx.gov.