Orange County NC Website
4 <br />A sample letter is attached as Appendix D. <br />At this point the County Attorney normally becomes involved with the enforcement process, If a <br />violator does not correct the problem by the established deadline, the enforcement officer will <br />determine the most appropriate course of action to bring the property into compliance. The <br />County has the following tools to bring the property into compliance with the Zoning Ordinance: <br />Permit Revocation: In accord with the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance, the Zoning <br />Enforcement Officer may revoke any permit or other authorization granted under this <br />Ordinance for failure to comply with the provisions of this Ordinance or the terms and <br />conditions of a permit or authorization granted under this Ordinance. <br />2. Permit Denial: As long as a violation of this Ordinance remains uncorrected, the <br />enforcement officer may deny or withhold approval of any permit or other <br />authorization provided for' in this Ordinance that is sought for the property on which the <br />violation occurs, <br />3. Issuance of daily Civil Penalties not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), <br />4. Criminal Penalty: As provided in Section 14-4 of the North Cazolina General Statutes, <br />violation of the County Zoning Ordinance constitutes a misdemeanor, punishable by a <br />fine of up to five hundred dollars ($500.00), imprisonment for up to thirty (30) days, or <br />both, and <br />Seeking the issuance of an Injunction and Abatement Order: The County may institute <br />action in a court of competent jurisdiction for a mandatory or prohibitory injunction and <br />order of abatement commanding the violator to correct or cease a violation of this <br />Ordinance. Under Section 153A-123 of the North Carolina General Statutes, if the <br />violator fails to comply with a court injunction or order of abatement and the County <br />executes the order, the County will have a lien on the property on which the violation <br />occurred for the County's costs in executing the order. <br />TYPICAL ZONING VIOLATIONS: <br />In reviewing all open and closed zoning enforcement cases, the most common cases can be <br />ranked, in terms of the number of valid complaints received by the Planning Department, as <br />follows: <br />1. Illegal Storage of junked or' Wrecked Motor Vehicles, <br />2, Illegal Storage of Goods, Outdoors, <br />3, Illegal Dumping and Landfilling, <br />4. Illegal Location of Signs (including political signs), <br />5. Abandoned Mobile Homes, <br />6. Illegal Use of Property, and <br />7. Encroachment <br />