A system of fines, instead of legal actions, to remedy zoning violations in the City of Falls Church is up for consideration by the F.C. City Council. A proposed ordinance addresses the lack of a comprehensive property maintenance code to address such things as deteriorated fences, rodent and insect harborages or broken windows at a business.
Where provisions do exist, they are enacted as misdemeanors that require hearings in the Arlington Circuit Court, a lengthy process with severe penalties. The new system would involve warning notices and then a civil infraction notice involving a fine.
