PORT ANGELES — Clallam County code enforcement closed significantly more cases in 2025, but staff say limited resources and a complex legal process continue to limit how much more can be done.
During a work session this week, commissioners reviewed the county’s fourth-quarter code enforcement report. From October through December, staff closed 71 cases, bringing the 2025 total to 286 — up from 170 cases in 2024.
Much of that work involved junk vehicles. Code Enforcement Manager Diane Harvey says the county removed 49 junk vehicles from 14 properties in the fourth quarter, and 165 vehicles countywide last year, compared to 132 the year before.
“We only have one-and-a-half code enforcement officers. We have thousands of junk vehicles in our county. If we were to actually do really active code enforcement on junk vehicles — not voluntary removals, just the junk vehicles we have in our county — you’d have to give me about five staff members, because the process is very complicated under Chapter 19,” said Harvey.
Staff told commissioners most removals involve cars and trucks, not RVs, and that progress is limited by staffing. The county has about one-and-a-half code enforcement officers, and each case requires multiple notices, site visits, and the opportunity for appeal — a process designed to protect property rights.
Despite that, staff said the program is now operating near capacity, closing about 70 cases per quarter after earlier staffing turnover slowed enforcement.
The county also reported removing 25 tons of solid waste in 2025 through large property cleanups, often involving elderly residents, estates, or people facing financial or mental-health challenges.
“Each property — if it’s an encampment and junk vehicles, we tend to split it. We try to get the junk vehicles out first, work with the property owners, and then come up with a longer-term plan to address the encampment. If it’s just somebody who’s got, you know, 40 junk vehicles on their property, that’s easier. And I can tell you, we do get a lot of requests to assist with cleanups, and we go there and use our own judgment as to whether we’re going to deploy county funds to do it,” added Harvey.
Looking ahead, code enforcement has set goals for 2026, including closing 200 cases, removing 100 junk vehicles, completing six large cleanups, and exploring an amnesty program to resolve long-standing building permit violations.