Chronic Nuisance Property Ordinance

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Are you a landlord or property manager within Bremerton City Limits? Would you like to be notified of police incidents occurring at your properties?

If yes, please take a moment to learn more about the Chronic Nuisance Properties Ordinance and Landlord Notification Program.

In 2006 Neighborhood Watch members initiated a collaborative effort to build the Chronic Nuisance Properties Ordinance, which was enacted by the City on January 31, 2008 (Chapter 9.92 Bremerton Municipal Code).

Members of Neighborhood Watch saw the need for an effective tool to deal with properties that are the subject of repetitive police calls and code violations. Previous ordinances were not effective in reaching long term solutions. More than half of all residences in Bremerton are rentals, making this information of particular interest to landlords and property managers.

The goal of the new ordinance is to raise the quality of life in our neighborhoods, reduce the number of police calls for service and hold accountable those property owners that allow nuisance activities to persist. The ordinance is designed for voluntary compliance through graduated steps of action.

Chronic nuisance property is a property on which three or more nuisance activities occur or exist during any 60 day period.

Nuisance activity means any criminal activity as defined by the state law or local ordinance.

What happens when three or more nuisance activities occur? When three ore more nuisance activities occur on a property within 60 days, the Chief of Police or designee reviews reports to determine if the matter constitutes a chronic nuisance. If yes, the landlord is notified that the property is in danger of being declared a chronic nuisance and is requested to contact the City to develop a plan to remedy the problem. If the landlord voluntarily remedies the problem the matter is closed. In those cases where the landlord fails to respond or does not remedy the problems, the Chief of Police or designee can declare the property a chronic nuisance and issue a civil infraction that includes monetary penalties of up to $1,000.00. If the matter is still unresolved the case can be referred to the City Attorney for civil action in Superior Court. The City has the burden of proof to show that the property is a chronic nuisance. When the Superior Court finds that the property is a chronic nuisance it can order civil penalties ranging from fines of up to $100.00 per day to closure of the property for up to one year.

In a separate, but related initiative, the Bremerton Police Department developed a method to notify landlords and property managers in a timely manner any time a police officer writes a report involving a property. This is done by e-mail and at no cost to the landlord/property manager. Please read below for specific details on the Landlord Notification Program.

Bremerton Police Landlord Notification Program

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The Bremerton Police Department, through a partnership with the Puget Rental Owners Association, developed the Landlord Notification Program. Its purpose is to notify in a timely manner licensed landlords in Bremerton of police incidents occurring at their properties. This method of notification to landlords uses e-mail and is free of charge.

How the Program Works
Participating landlords submit the following information to the Community Resource Unit:

Bremerton Landlord License Number
Landlord/Managers name
E-mail Address (where notification will be sent)
Street address and apartment number (if any) of the rental property

This information is added to the landlord property list. The Community Resource Unit reviews police incident reports on a regular basis to create a list of incidents by address. If an incident address matches an address on the landlord property list an e-mail is sent to the landlord/manager with the following information:

Date and time incident is reported
Police Case Number
Type of Incident
Address of incident

Every effort is made to make timely notifications. Weekends and unforeseen circumstances may cause some delays. The landlord can follow up with their tenants about the police activity and/or obtain a copy of the police report by making a public disclosure request to the Police Department.

How Can You Participate?
Call the Community Resource Unit at 360-473-5231 and register your properties. It is free.

Desired Results
The benefits of this partnership program are threefold:

You as landlords will receive timely information about police activities at your properties.
Neighborhoods will be more peaceful through reduction of problem locations.
Police calls for service will be reduced.

More Information
For questions/comments or if you'd like more information please contact Community Resource Specialist Joe Sexton with the Bremerton Police Department, 1025 Burwell Street, Bremerton, WA 98337, 360-473-5231 or via e-mail at Joseph.Sexton@ci.bremerton.wa.us.