Chapter 1.08 — ADMINISTRATIVE CITATIONS

This chapter provides for administrative citations that are in addition to all other legal remedies, criminal and civil, which may be pursued by the City to address any violations of this Code. Any person violating any provision of this Code may be issued an administrative citation as provided in this chapter.

(Prior code § 1-23)

An administrative fine shall be assessed by means of an administrative citation issued by an enforcement officer, and shall be payable directly to the City of Paramount. Fines shall be set forth in an administrative fine schedule established by resolution of the City Council. Fines shall be collected in accord with the procedures specified in this chapter. Payment of a fine shall not excuse failure to correct the violation nor shall it bar further enforcement action by the City. (Prior code § 1-24)

"Cited party" means a responsible person who has been issued an administrative citation.

"City" means the City of Paramount.

"Continuing violation" means any condition or activity in violation of the Paramount Municipal Code, codes adopted by reference, or City ordinances that continues beyond the date of the citation or, if time is given to correct the violation, the date stated on the administrative citation to correct the violation.

"Enforcement officer" means any employee of the City of Paramount or agent for the City authorized to enforce provisions of this Code.

"Hearing officer" means the person or contracted company designated by the City Manager to determine the validity of the violation stated on the citation.

"Legal interest" means any interest that is represented by a deed, deed of trust, quitclaim deed, mortgage, lease, judgment lien, tax or assessment lien, mechanic's lien or other similar interest, which is recorded with the County Recorder.

"Responsible person" means a natural person, heirs, executors, administrators, or assigns, firm, partnership, or corporation, its heirs or their successors or assigns, or the agent of any of the aforesaid, responsible for the creation, existence, commission, and/or maintenance of a violation of the Paramount Municipal Code, a code adopted by reference, or any applicable State statute. The term "responsible person" includes, but is not limited to, a property owner, tenant, person with a legal interest in real property, manager of real property or a business, or person in possession of real property.

(Prior code § 1-25)

This chapter provides for administrative fines for any violation of this Code. Administrative fines may be assessed in lieu of, or in addition to, any other legal remedy, criminal or civil, which may

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/PA4983 on 2026-07-07

City of Paramount, CA

PARAMOUNT CODE

§ 1.08.040

§ 1.08.070

be pursued by the City to address any violation of this Code. (Prior code § 1-26)

An enforcement officer shall have authority to issue an administrative citation to any responsible person for a violation of any provision of the Municipal Code and codes adopted by reference. Except when a violation creates an immediate danger to health or safety, if the violation is of the Building Code, Electrical Code, Plumbing Code, or Mechanical Code, the cited party shall be given a reasonable period of time to correct the violation before an administrative fine is imposed.

(Prior code § 1-27)

Administrative citations shall contain the following information:

• A. The name of the responsible person and any mailing address, residence, driver license or identification number, physical description or other identifying information;

• B. The date of the violation;

• C. The name, when applicable, and address of the location where the violation occurred;

• D. The provisions of the Code, law, permit, land use approval, or other regulation or entitlement violated, including a description of the violation;

• E. The amount of the fine for the violation and the amount of the late charge if the fine is not paid by a specified date;

• F. A description of the fine payment process, including a description of the time within which and the place to which the fine shall be paid;

• G. The actions required to correct the violation(s);

• H. A reasonable deadline or time limitation for commencing and completing such corrective actions, not to exceed 21 days unless the enforcement officer determines that some longer period of time is reasonably warranted;

• I. A description of the administrative citation appeal process, including the time within which the administrative citation may be appealed and the place from which a form to appeal the administrative citation may be obtained; and

• J. The name, badge number, if applicable, and signature of the enforcement officer, and the signature of the responsible person, if that person is physically present and will sign the citation at the time of its issuance.

• (Prior code § 1-28)

• A. The amount of the fine imposed for a code violation shall be set forth in the schedule of administrative fines established by resolution of the City Council.

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/PA4983 on 2026-07-07

City of Paramount, CA § 1.08.070

GENERAL PROVISIONS

§ 1.08.090

• B. The schedule of administrative fines shall specify any increased fines for repeat violations of the same code provisions by the same responsible person within 12 months from the date of an administrative citation.

• C. The schedule of administrative fines shall specify the amount of any late payment charges imposed for the payment of a fine after its due date.

• D. The schedule of fines shall specify that each and every day a violation exists constitutes a separate and distinct offense.

• E. Time to Pay an Administrative Fine. The fine shall be paid to the City or their authorized agent within 30 calendar days from the date of issuance of the administrative citation.

• (Prior code §§ 1-29, 1-30)

An authorized enforcement officer shall issue and serve an administrative citation to a responsible person in the following manner:

• A. Personal Service. The enforcement officer shall attempt to locate and personally serve the responsible person and obtain that person's signature on the administrative citation, if the person is within the City's jurisdiction. If the responsible person is an entity, the enforcement officer may personally serve an employee over the age of 18, manager, principal, partner, director, officer or representative of the entity on behalf of said entity. The failure or refusal of a person to sign a citation shall not affect its validity or any related subsequent proceeding, nor shall signing a citation constitute an admission of guilt. The date of personal service shall constitute the date of issuance of the citation.

• B. Mailed Service. If the responsible person is outside the jurisdiction of the City or cannot be located, the administrative citation shall be mailed to the responsible person by certified mail, postage prepaid, return receipt requested, with a copy of the citation simultaneously sent by first class mail. The date indicated on the receipt, or, if returned unsigned, the date of the mailing shall constitute the date of issuance of the citation.

• C. Posted Service. If service cannot be accomplished by personal service or mailed service, the enforcement officer shall post the administrative citation on any real property in the City in which the responsible person is known to have a legal and possessory interest. The date of the posting shall constitute the date of the issuance of the citation.

• D. The failure of a responsible person to receive an administrative citation shall not invalidate any fine, late charge, action or proceeding, if service was given in a manner authorized in this chapter.

• (Prior code § 1-31)

• A. A cited party may contest a citation in writing, not later than 15 days after service of the citation. The request shall be submitted in writing as directed on the citation and shall include a statement of reasons the citation is being contested. The request shall be accompanied by a deposit in the full amount of the fine or a request for an advance deposit hardship waiver. A hearing will not be scheduled unless the full amount of the fine is deposited, or the City finds the responsible party unable to do so and waives the deposit

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/PA4983 on 2026-07-07

City of Paramount, CA § 1.08.090

PARAMOUNT CODE

§ 1.08.100

requirement.

• B. A request for an advance deposit hardship waiver shall be filed at the Public Safety Department on an advance deposit hardship waiver application form, available from the department, at the time an administrative hearing is requested. The Director of Finance or designee may issue an advance deposit hardship waiver but only if the person requesting the waiver submits a sworn affidavit, together with supporting documents, demonstrating to the satisfaction of the Director of Finance the person's financial inability to deposit with the City the full amount of the fine in advance of the hearing. Documentation of financial hardship may include tax returns, financial statements, bank account records, salary records, or similar documents acceptable to the Director of Finance, demonstrating that the cited party is unable to deposit the fine.

• C. The Director of Finance or designee shall issue a written statement specifying the reasons for issuing or denying the waiver. The decision shall be served by United States mail or by personal service upon the cited party. If service is by mail, service is complete upon depositing the statement in the mail. If the Director of Finance or designee determines that an advance deposit hardship waiver is not warranted, the cited party shall remit the full amount of the fine to the City within 10 days of service of the written decision to grant or deny an advance deposit hardship waiver.

• (Prior code § 1-32)

No hearing to contest an administrative citation before a Hearing Officer shall be held unless the fine has been deposited in advance, or an advance deposit hardship waiver has been issued in accord with this section.

• A. Dismissal of Citation Before a Hearing. The Director of Public Safety may cause the dismissal of an administrative citation at any time if it would be in the best interest of the City, in which event any deposit will be refunded.

• B. Notice of Administrative Hearing. The administrative hearing shall be scheduled not less than 15 nor more than 60 days after receipt of the request for a hearing to contest the citation is filed. The cited party contesting the administrative citation shall be notified in writing of the date, time, and location of the appeal hearing. Notice may be served personally upon the cited party/appellant or by U.S. mail with first class postage prepaid. Mailed notice shall be addressed to the cited party/appellant at the address provided by the cited party, or if there is no such address then in care of the property address, if known, of the cited party.

Service of notice is complete upon personal service on the cited party or upon depositing the notice of hearing in the U.S. mail. Failure of any person to receive the mailed notice shall not affect the validity of any proceeding or order regarding administrative citations.

• C. Appointment of Administrative Hearing Officer. The City Manager shall designate the Hearing Officer or the contracted company for the administrative hearing. The Hearing Officer shall not be a City employee and his or her compensation shall not be conditioned upon whether or not administrative citations are upheld.

• D. Request for Continuance of Hearing. The cited party may request one continuance of the hearing, but continued hearings must begin within 90 days after receipt of the request for

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/PA4983 on 2026-07-07

City of Paramount, CA § 1.08.100

GENERAL PROVISIONS

§ 1.08.100

hearing from the responsible person.

• E. Appearance at Administrative Hearing by Written Declaration. The cited party, or that person's representative, may attend the hearing in person, or in lieu of attending may submit an appearance by written declaration on a form provided by the City for that purpose.

• F. Failure to Appear at an Administrative Hearing. The cited party shall appear at the administrative hearing on the date and at the time and place specified. Failure to personally attend the administrative hearing shall be considered a nonappearance and a failure to exhaust administrative remedies and shall result in forfeiture of the deposit. The Administrative Hearing Officer shall then dismiss the challenge to the administrative citation, and shall mail a written notice to that effect to the cited party. The advance deposit shall then become the property of the City.

• G. Request to Cancel an Administrative Hearing. A cited party who has requested an administrative hearing may request in writing that his or her challenge to the citation be dismissed and the hearing canceled. Upon receipt of such request, the Director of Public Safety or designee or the administrative hearing officer shall dismiss the challenge to the administrative citation, cancel the pending hearing, and issue a written notice to that effect. The advance deposit shall then become the property of the City.

• H. Hearing Cancelled After Advance Deposit Hardship Waiver. If a hearing was scheduled after approval of an advance deposit hardship waiver form and then dismissed at the request of the cited party, the cited party shall pay the fine to the City within seven days after written notice to do so. If the cited party obtained an advance deposit hardship waiver and neither attended the hearing nor submitted an Appearance by Written Declaration, the cited party shall pay the fine to the City within seven days after written notice to do so.

• I. Procedures at Administrative Hearing. Administrative hearings are informal, and formal rules of evidence and discovery do not apply. Hearsay evidence is permitted. Evidence shall be relevant to the issues to be decided. Each party shall have the opportunity to present evidence in support of his or her case and to cross-examine witnesses. The City bears the burden of proof at an administrative hearing to establish a violation. The citation and any additional documents prepared by the City in connection with the violation(s) are prima facie evidence of the violation. The enforcement officer who issued the citation may participate in the hearing. The Administrative Hearing Officer shall use preponderance of the evidence as the standard of proof in deciding the issues. Evidence shall be submitted under penalty of perjury.

• J. Decision of Administrative Hearing Officer. At the conclusion of the hearing or within 15 days thereafter, the Administrative Hearing Officer shall render a decision as follows:

  1. After consideration of all the evidence, the Hearing Officer shall issue a written decision to uphold or cancel the administrative citation and shall state the reasons for the decision and notice of the right to appeal the decision.

  2. The cited party/appellant and the enforcement officer shall each be served by first class mail, postage prepaid, with a copy of the Hearing Officer's written decision. The cited party/appellant shall also be served by certified mail, return receipt requested. Service shall be deemed made as of the date on the receipt or, if returned unsigned, as of the date of mailing of the hearing officer's written decision.

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/PA4983 on 2026-07-07

City of Paramount, CA

PARAMOUNT CODE

§ 1.08.100

§ 1.08.130

3. If the administrative citation is upheld, the deposit with the City shall be retained by the City. If the administrative citation is not upheld, the City shall promptly refund the deposit.

4. If the citation is upheld and the violation has not been fully corrected as of the date of the hearing, the Hearing Officer's decision shall contain an order to correct the violation and a deadline for compliance.

5. The decision of the Hearing Officer shall be final. (Prior code §§ 1-33—1-43)

• A. If the administrative order imposes a fine in the amount set forth in the administrative fine schedule, or imposes a fine in a lesser amount, and the responsible person has filed, and the Director of Finance has approved, an advance deposit hardship waiver, then the fine imposed shall become immediately due and payable to the City and may be collected as provided in this chapter.

• B. If the fine set forth in the administrative fine schedule was paid to the City before the administrative hearing and the administrative order imposes a fine in that amount, the fine paid shall immediately become the property of the City. If a fine is imposed in an amount less than the amount paid to the City before the administrative hearing, the amount imposed shall immediately become the property of the City and the excess shall be refunded within 30 days of the date of the administrative order.

• (Prior code § 1-44)

• A. A cited party who objects to the hearing officer's administrative decision and/or order may obtain review of the administrative citation by filing an appeal with the Superior Court in Los Angeles County in accord with Section 53069.4 of the California Government Code. Such appeal must be filed within 20 days after mailing or personal service of the administrative order to the cited party. The cited party shall within 10 days of filing a notice of appeal with the Superior Court serve upon the City Clerk either in person or by first-class mail a copy of the notice of appeal. The administrative order shall be final on the date it is served on the cited party.

• B. Failure to Comply with the Administrative Order. Failure to comply with an administrative order directing the abatement of a continuing violation shall constitute a public nuisance and a misdemeanor crime. In that event, or if the City prevails in an appeal of such an Order to the Superior Court and the responsible person does not comply with the administrative order, the City may file a criminal misdemeanor action against the responsible person. Filing a criminal misdemeanor action does not preclude the City from using any other legal remedy available to gain compliance with the administrative order.

• C. Only Abatement Discharges the Violation. Payment of the fine under this chapter shall not excuse or discharge any continuation or repeated occurrence of the code violation that is the subject of the administrative citation. Only abatement of the cited condition discharges the violation.

(Prior code §§ 1-45, 1-46)

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/PA4983 on 2026-07-07

City of Paramount, CA § 1.08.130

GENERAL PROVISIONS

§ 1.08.140

The City may use all available legal means to collect past due fines and other related costs.

• A. Any person who fails to pay any fine shall be liable in any action or collection procedure brought by the City for all costs incurred in securing payment of the delinquent amount, including, but not limited to, administrative costs, collection costs, and attorneys' fees.

• B. Collection costs shall be in addition to any penalties, interest, and late charges imposed upon the delinquent obligation.

• C. Commencement of an action to collect a delinquent fine shall not preclude issuance of one or more additional citations to the legally responsible party if the violation or violations exist after the date for correcting them as stated in the administrative order.

• D. Late Payment Charges. Any cited party who fails to pay the City any fine imposed in accord with the provisions of this chapter on or before the date that the fine is due shall be liable for the payment of any applicable late payment charges set forth in the schedule of administrative fines.

(Prior code §§ 1-48, 1-49)

If the fine owed by a cited party is for one or more Paramount Municipal Code, or code adopted by reference, or City ordinance violations on the cited party's property, and the amount has been delinquent 90 days or more, the delinquent amount and late payment charges shall become a lien on the property on which the violations occurred.

• A. Notice of Lien Hearing. The Director of Finance shall give written notice to the cited party of a hearing before the City Council regarding the delinquent fine amount and related costs. The notice shall be mailed by first class mail at least 10 days before the hearing. The notice shall state:

  1. The citation or citations resulting in the delinquent fine amount;

  2. The total of the delinquent fine amount and related costs;

  3. The date the delinquent fine amount was due;

  4. The street address, assessor's parcel number, and legal description of the property upon which the violations occurred;

  5. The date, hour, and place of the hearing;

  6. A statement that the cited party or other responsible person may appear and be heard;

  7. A statement that unless the fine amount is paid by the date specified in a resolution by the City Council, the total amount due will become a lien and special assessment on the property.

• B. Lien Hearing. At the lien hearing the City Council shall:

  1. Hear and consider all competent evidence about the delinquent fine amount;

  2. If it finds the amount is delinquent, make a finding of fact confirming that the

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/PA4983 on 2026-07-07

City of Paramount, CA

PARAMOUNT CODE

§ 1.08.140

§ 1.08.150

delinquent fine amount and related costs are due the City as costs of nuisance abatement;

3. Order the total amount due to be paid to the City within five days, after which the amount due will become a lien on the property.

• C. Recorded Lien. If the amount due is not paid within five days after the City Council confirms it and orders it paid, the amount due shall constitute a lien upon the real property upon which the nuisance violations existed and shall be an assessment against the property. The lien shall continue until the amount due and interest, computed at six percent per annum from the date of the City Council's confirmation, is paid or until it is discharged of record.

If the amount due is not paid as required by the City Council's order, a notice of lien shall be recorded in the Office of the County Recorder and delivered to the County Tax Collector. The notice of lien shall substantially be in the following form:

NOTICE OF LIEN CLAIM OF THE CITY OF PARAMOUNT, CALIFORNIA

By the authority of Paramount Municipal Code Section 1.08.050, an administrative citation or citations were issued regarding nuisance abatement at the real property described below. Fines were assessed for the nuisance. By action of the Paramount City Council, recorded in its official minutes, the fines and related costs were confirmed as delinquent and assessed against the property as costs of nuisance abatement.

The delinquent amount was not paid, therefore the City of Paramount claims a lien on the real property for the costs of abatement in the amount of $_____, which shall be a lien on the real property until it is paid, with interest at the rate of 6% per annum from the day of ____, 20, the date the City Council confirmed the delinquent fines and related costs. The lien shall continue until paid in full and discharged of record. It shall also be a personal obligation against [insert name of property owner].

The real property upon which a lien is claimed is that certain parcel of land in the City of Paramount, County of Los Angeles, State of California, described as follows:

[Insert legal description.]

Dated this ____ day of _____________, 20. CITY OF PARAMOUNT By: ____________________________ Director of Finance

(Prior code §§ 1-50—1-53)

• A. After the lien is confirmed and recorded, a certified copy of it shall be filed with the County Auditor. The description of the parcel reported to the Auditor shall be the one used by the County Assessor's map book for the current year. The County Auditor shall enter each assessment on the County tax roll for the reported parcel of land.

• B. In accord with California Government Code Section 54988, if the property is not an owneroccupied residential dwelling unit, the amount of the assessment shall be collected at the

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/PA4983 on 2026-07-07

City of Paramount, CA § 1.08.150

GENERAL PROVISIONS

§ 1.08.160

time and in the manner of ordinary municipal taxes. If delinquent, the amount is subject to the same penalties and procedure of foreclosure provided for ordinary municipal taxes. Laws relating to the levy, collection, and enforcement of County taxes shall apply to such special assessment.

• C. The Director of Finance may receive the amount due on the abatement costs and issue receipts at any time after the confirmation of the statement, before August 1st of that current year. The City Council may order a refund of any lien or assessment paid under this section if it finds that all or part of the assessment has been erroneously levied. An assessment or part thereof shall not be refunded unless a claim is filed with the City Clerk on or before March 1st after taxes become due and payable. The claim shall be verified by the person who pays the tax, or his or her guardian, executor, or administrator.

• (Prior code § 1-54)

The administrative citation process described in this chapter does not preclude the City from recovery of any Code violation abatement costs incurred by the City in performing its code enforcement efforts.

(Prior code § 1-55)

Downloaded from https://ecode360.com/PA4983 on 2026-07-07

City of Paramount, CA