ATTENTION! Stealth Seizure: Nevada County’s Quiet Move to Take Your Land
County Buries Foreclosure Threat in Upcoming County Supervisors Agenda: Unpaid Fines = Property Loss.
ATTENTION NEVADA COUNTY RESIDENTS! THIS IS A TIMELY ISSUE!
PLEASE SHARE WIDELY.
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors is about to quietly pass a new rule (Ordinance SR 25-1750) that would let the county add unpaid code violation fees directly to your property tax bill.
How The County Is Attempting To Do This:
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors is preparing to adopt ordinance SR 25-1750 through the consent calendar, which will permit Nevada County to add delinquent code compliance invoices to the property tax roll.
The government code they are using to justify their actions is 25845(d).
The Consent Calendar should be for "noncontroversial items." As it says under the Consent Calendar, "These items are expected to be routine and noncontroversial. The Board of Supervisors will act upon them at one time without discussion."
Not only is this item highly controversial, but it is unconstitutional!
This is Pandora's box.
What’s a “Code Violation Fee”?
Think of this as a fine you get if the county says you broke a local rule—maybe your grass is too tall, you built something without a permit, or your property is considered messy or unsafe.
Why Does This Matter?
If you don’t pay these fines, the county wants to tack them onto your annual property tax bill. If you don’t pay your property taxes—including these new fees—the county can eventually seize and sell your home. This is the same process they use for unpaid property taxes.
Why Are People Upset?
Sneaky Process:
The Board is trying to pass this rule as part of the “Consent Calendar”—a list of supposedly boring, non-controversial items that get approved all at once, without public discussion. But this is anything but boring or non-controversial!
Slippery Slope:
This opens the door for the county to add all sorts of other fees to your property tax bill, not just code violations.
Constitutional Concerns:
California’s Constitution (Article XIII D) says local governments can’t just slap “special assessments” (extra charges) onto your tax bill without following strict rules. Some argue this new ordinance breaks those rules.
Due Process Issues:
Normally, before the county can punish you for a code violation, they have to prove you’re a public nuisance (a threat to public health, safety, or life) and give you a fair hearing. Many people affected by this don’t even have those kinds of orders against them.
What Can You Do?
Email the Board:
PLEASE TAKE ACTION NOW: (BY MONDAY 6/23/25 AT 4 PM)
EMAIL THE BOARD AT:
BOS.PublicComment@co.nevada.ca.us
Please ask the board to remove SR 25-1750 from the Consent Calendar. It's helpful to state why.
You could pull any text from my Notice attached below, or you can simply state:
1. This is controversial, and please pull.
2. This is unconstitutional, see California Constitution Article XIII D.
ATTEND THE BOARD MEETING ON TUESDAY 6/24/2025 FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
CALL YOUR BOARD MEMBER after emailing. Follow the link for contact info:
https://www.nevadacountyca.gov/731/Board-of-Supervisors
ORGANIZE OTHERS! Copy the body of this email and send to all of your community members. local friends/family.
The Bottom Line
This isn’t just about messy yards or code violations. It’s about how easily the county could use unpaid fines as a backdoor way to take people’s property—without the usual checks and balances. And they’re trying to do it quietly.
If you care about property rights, transparency, and due process, now’s the time to speak up.