City of Bell Gardens: Community Development

The purpose of the Code Enforcement Division is to enforce the Rehabilitation Chapters (98 & 99) of the City Building Code. Its duties include responding to public complaints, field inspections, and public outreach for voluntary compliance and formal compliance through the City Prosecutor and/or Planning Commission. The division also assists in Business License Enforcement and Zoning Ordinance Enforcement. The Code Enforcement Division is working with the community to protect the properties in residential and commercial neighborhoods by establishing minimum maintenance standards.

Code Enforcement

Property Maintenance Ordinances

Maintenance standards are designed to:

Discourage crime and graffiti.
Maintain or increase property values.
Encourage quality development.
Preserve the quality of life in our city.

The City of Bell Gardens encourages tenants and owners to take pride and responsibility in maintaining the properties. Click here for Landlord and Tenant Responsibilities. Listed below are examples of exterior only substandard conditions.

Overgrown landscaping and/or vegetation.
Inoperable and/or abandoned vehicles stored on premises.
Trailers, campers, boats, mobile equipment stored in yard areas.
Clothes lines in front yard areas (including handing clothes on front yard fencing)
Garbage/ trash cans stored in front/ side yards visible from street.
Junk, trash, debris or packing materials accumulated on property.
Broken, abandoned, or discarded furniture, equipment and/ or machinery.

For additional information on the Property Maintenance Department (Code Enforcement) or to receive a detailed list of all substandard conditions, please contact the Property Maintenance Department (Code Enforcement) at City of Bell Gardens City Hall, Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., (562) 806-7700.

The purpose of Property Maintenance Ordinances are to protect the properties in residential and commercial neighborhoods by establishing minimum maintenance standards. Maintenance standards are designed to maintain or increase property values, discourage crime and graffiti, and encourage quality development. Furthermore, they preserve the quality of life in our city. For your information, the following articles are taken from the City of Bell Gardens Municipal Code.

Yards
(Article 6)

No owner or occupant of any property in the city can maintain or permit to remain within the front yard, street side yard or any other portion of the property, any of the following:

9905.9 Broken or discarded furniture and household equipment in yard areas for unreasonable periods;

9905.10 Clothesline in front yard areas;

9905.11 Garbage cans stored in front or side yards and visible from public street except when placed in places of collection at the times permitted.

9905.12 Packing boxes and other debris stored in yards and visible from public streets for unreasonable periods;

9905.14 Maintenance of premises in such condition as to be detrimental to the public health, safety or general welfare or in such manner as to constitute a public nuisance as defined by Civil Code Section 3280.

Buildings
(Article 6)

The purpose of this section is to protect the appearance of residential neighborhoods and promote safe and decent housing. It is unlawful for any person owning, leasing, occupying, or renting any residential and commercial property in the city to maintain on such property any of the following:

9905.2 Unpainted buildings causing dry rot, warping and termite infestation;

9905.3 Broken windows constituting hazardous conditions and inviting trespassers and malicious mischief;

9905.15 Property, including, but not limited to, building exteriors which are maintained in such condition as to become so defective, unsightly, or in such condition of deterioration or disrepair that the same causes appreciable diminution of the property values of surrounding property or is materially detrimental to proximal properties and improvements. This includes, but is not limited to, the keeping or disposing of or the scattering over the property or premises of any of the following:

9905.15.1 Lumber, junk, trash or debris;

9905.15.2 Abandoned, discarded or unused objects of equipment such as automobiles, furniture, stoves, refrigerators, freezers, cans or containers;

9905.15.3 Stagnant water, or excavations;

9905.15.4 Any device, decoration, design, fence, structure, clothesline or vegetation which is unsightly by reason of its condition or its inappropriate location;

Landscape
(Article 6)

It is unlawful for any person owning, leasing, occupying, or renting property in the city to allow the existence of the following conditions:

9905.4 Overgrown vegetation causing detriment to neighboring properties or property values.

9905.5 Dead trees, weeds and debris;

9905.5.1 Constituting unsightly appearance, or

9905.5.2 Dangerous to public safety and welfare, or

9905.5.3 Detrimental to nearby property or property values.

Household Pets
(Articles 9 and 15)

The occupants of a dwelling unit may keep and maintain domestic animals for their personal use, but in no instance may have more than a total of six (6) such animals nor more than two (2) animals of any one kind be kept upon the premises.

This shall be construed as permitting dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys and rabbits, but not the keeping of swine, sheep, goats, cattle or horses.

All permitted animals shall be kept or maintained at a place where the keeping of domestic animals is permitted.

This shall not be construed to permit any animal, other than cats, or dogs, capable of inflicting harm or endangering the health and safety of any person or property.

No person shall keep, maintain or permit upon any lot or parcel of land within the City under his control, any animal or animals, including fowl or fowls, which by any sound, or cry, shall interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life or property by an individual.

Vehicle Storage
(Articles 9 and 13)

A motor vehicle, trailer, boat or camper body shall not be stored or parked within the front yard of a lot used for residential purposes. It shall be unlawful to park or store any commercial vehicles or other equipment related to a commercial use on residential property.

No vehicle, when parked or stored, can extend and overhang along public sidewalks and rights-of-way.

It is unlawful for any person owning, leasing, occupying, or renting property in the city to allow the existence of the following conditions:

9905.6 Trailers, campers, boats and other mobile equipment stored for unreasonable periods in yard areas contiguous to streets or highways and causing depreciation of nearby property values;

9905.7 Inoperable or abandoned motor vehicles stored for unreasonable periods on the premises and causing depreciation of nearby property values;

It shall be unlawful and a misdemeanor for any person to abandon, park, store, or leave or permit the abandonment, parking, storing, or leaving of any licensed or unlicensed vehicle or part thereof which is an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative condition upon any private or public property, not including highways, within the city for a period in excess of five days, unless such vehicle or part thereof is completely enclosed within a building, in a lawful manner where it is not plainly visible from the street or other public or private property.

Garage Sales
(City of Bell Gardens Ordinance #663)

Garage Sales may be held on RESIDENTIALLY ZONED properties only.
Garage Sales may be held a total of THREE times a year from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on the first weekend of APRIL, AUGUST & DECEMBER only. Weekends constitute Saturday and/or Sunday only.
A permit WILL NOT be required to hold a garage sale on permitted dates and times listed above.
Garage Sales shall only involve the sale of OLD AND USED items owned by residents of the property only. None of the items offered for sale shall have been acquired by or consigned to such person solely for the purposes of the sale.
No live animals, food, tobacco products, alcoholic beverages, weapons, controlled substances, or other illegal items or items requiring permit for sale shall be sold or offered for sale.
All sales related activities shall be conducted within garages, carports, front yards, back yards, patios, and walkways located on the lot.
Violation of any regulations established in Ordinance #663 will be severely penalized.

For further information on other restrictions of the City of Bell Gardens Property Maintenance Ordinances, please call the Code Enforcement Division at Bell Gardens City Hall, (562) 806-7700.

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