Code Enforcement

General Information

The Code Enforcement Bureau of the Merced County Sheriff’s Office is dedicated to maintaining the safety and well-being of our community. Serving the unincorporated areas of Merced County, our officers enforce the County Zoning Ordinances and the Merced County Building Code.

  • Substandard Housing: We actively address issues related to substandard housing to ensure all residents live in safe and healthy conditions.
  • Community Development Collaboration: Partnering with various community development organizations, we work to foster a thriving and prosperous environment for all.
  • Unsheltered Population: We are dedicated to supporting the unsheltered population, working alongside local agencies to provide necessary resources and improve living conditions.

Our goal is to collaborate with residents, tenants, and businesses to promote and maintain a safe and desirable living and working environment.

What are Some Examples of Code Violations?

  • Outdoor storage of inoperative motor vehicles, campers, boats, trailers, etc.
  • Outdoor storage of items on property and/or within required setbacks
  • Unpermitted buildings or construction
  • Continuous yard sales
  • Fences exceeding maximum height limits
  • Illegal dwellings or living in recreational vehicles
  • Semi-Truck parking on private property
  • Activities related to a commercial or industrial use without the proper permits
  • Keeping of excessive pet or farm animals
  • Illegal signs on private property
  • Roosters being raised and kept in agricultural zones.

Report a Complaint Here

Before Filing a Complaint - Things to Know

Before filing a complaint, please use the county map to ensure the property is in the county and not a city within our county. Complainants are encouraged to be thorough in providing information in their written complaint. Please include details such as the nature of the alleged violation, the location, the parties involved, and other relevant information. Additionally, you may attach supplemental pages to the basic complaint form to provide a comprehensive overview of the situation. To enhance clarity, including pictures, diagrams of the site, and logs of dates and times when the alleged violation(s) occurred would be helpful. The more information presented, the more effectively the Code Enforcement staff can address the complaint.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your complaint, please call the Code Enforcement Sergeant at (209) 726-2725 or send an email to: mercedsheriffcode@countyofmerced.com

 

Merced County Code section 9.70.160 provides for the issuance of administrative citations for Code Violations. Any recipient of an administrative citation may contest the administrative penalty by filing a written request within (10) days after the service of the notice of administration penalties with the Clerk of the Merced County Board of Supervisors for a hearing. If the (10th) day falls on a County holiday or weekend, the request must be filed the next day that is not a holiday or weekend.

The failure of any person to pay the penalty assessed by the Administrative Citation within the time specified on the citation or on the invoice from the Revenue Collector may result in pursuing legal remedies to collect civil penalties. Payment of the citation does not relieve the responsibility to correct the violation(s).

If you need further clarification about payment or appeal of this citation, please contact the Merced County Sheriff's Office Code Enforcement Bureau at (209) 726-2725.

If you need further information about how to comply, please contact the Merced County Sheriff's Office Code Enforcement Bureau at (209) 726-2725.

It is important that complainants provide their name, mailing address, and phone numbers so the Code Enforcement staff can contact them if there are questions about their complaint. Code Enforcement Officers do not call complainants with regular status reports, but they do, upon request, provide complainants with “blind” copies of correspondence sent to the property owner.

Payment

Payment must be made in full within 30 calendar days of the issuance of the citation. Payment may be in the form of a cashier's check, money order, or personal check. Do not send cash. Checks should be made out to the County of Merced. Please indicate the citation number on your check. Payment may also be made online by credit/debit card at www.CitationProcessingCenter.com or by calling 1-800-969-6158.

Merced County Sheriff's Office
C/O Citation Processing Center
P.O. Box 7275
Newport Beach, CA 92658-7275

 

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your complaint, please call the Code Enforcement Sergeant at (209) 726-2725 or send an email to: mercedsheriffcode@countyofmerced.com

 

No Trespassing

California Penal Code, section 602(o), allows private property owners to authorize local law enforcement to arrest trespassers under certain circumstances. A Letter of Authority must be on file with our Office. This Letter of Authority is not to be interpreted as a request to obligate the Merced County Sheriff's Office to provide exclusive patrol of the owners' private property.

The Letter of Authority is only valid for thirty days. In addition, a single request for a peace officer’s assistance may be made for a period not to exceed 12 months when the premises or property is closed to the public and posted as being closed.

It is the requesters' responsibility to renew the Letter before the expiration. The Merced County Sheriff's Office will not send a notification that the Letter is about to expire.

This request can be emailed to Captain Rosenberg at aaron.rosenberg@countyofmerced.co. It can also be submitted at the Merced County Sheriff's Office, located at 700 W. 22nd Street, Merced, CA 95340, or the Jess Bowling Substation at 445 "I" Street, Los Banos, CA 93635.

Download a copy of the Letter of Authority(PDF, 699KB) here.

 

IMPORTANT

To file a Code Enforcement Complaint, you must create a Merced County Online Public User account.

 

If you have not already created an account, please use this link: Manage My Records and select "Register Now" or "Create an Account" to get started.

 

For additional information related to creating your account, please refer to this user guide: How-to-Create-Your-Account.pdf(PDF, 4MB)

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