El Cajon Municipal Code Ch. 1.12 Right of Entry for Inspection

Whenever necessary to make an inspection to enforce any ordinance or regulation, or whenever there is reasonable cause to believe there exists an ordinance or regulation violation in any building or upon any premises within the city, any authorized official of the city may, upon presentation of proper credentials, enter such building or premises at all reasonable times to inspect the same or to perform any duty imposed upon the official by ordinance; provided, that except in emergency situations or when consent of the owner and/or occupant to the inspection has been otherwise obtained, the official shall give the owner and/or occupant, if they can be located after reasonable effort, twenty-four hours' written notice of the authorized official's intention to inspect. The notice transmitted to the owner and/or occupant shall state that the owner and/or occupant has the right to refuse entry and that in the event such entry is refused, inspection may be made only upon issuance of a warrant by a duly authorized magistrate. In the event that owner and/or occupant refuses entry after such request has been made, the official is hereby empowered to seek assistance from any court of competent jurisdiction in obtaining such entry.

This section shall not be construed to authorize entry or seizure in excess of state or federal law.

(Prior code § 1.12.010; Ord. 2896 § 1, 1975; Ord. 4328 § 1, 1992)