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Notices of violation and cease and desist orders

Once a finding is on record, the town writes to the owner. The first letter is a notice of violation. If the problem is not fixed, the town issues a cease and desist order, the document that can later go to court.

Send a notice of violation​

On a case at Violation found, Do this now reads Send a notice of violation. The form asks for:

  • Findings to include, the findings the notice covers.
  • Date sent, which starts as today.
  • How it was sent: Handed to the recipient, First class mail, Certified mail, Posted on the property or Email.

Choose Send notice of violation. Chiban writes the notice as a PDF and files it under Documents and photos as Notice of violation for the case number. The notice is listed under Notices of violation with how and when it was sent, and Open notice shows it.

Chiban does not mail or email the notice. Send it the way you chose, then record the date.

Record when it was received​

The date the owner got the notice sets when penalties start counting: the page notes that Penalty accrual starts when written notice is received. When the notice has no receipt date, Do this now asks you to record it. Open Record receipt and enter Date received and How receipt is known, such as a signed certified mail receipt.

Draft a cease and desist order​

When the notice is out, Do this now moves to Draft a cease and desist order. The same form is under Draft an order in the orders section. Fill in:

  • Findings the order is based on, the open findings it covers. A finding already withdrawn or marked corrected cannot go in.
  • Corrective action required, what the owner must do.
  • Corrective action due, the date it must be done by.
  • The activity must stop immediately, ticked when the order demands an immediate stop.

Choose Draft order. The order is numbered, for example CD-2026-0001, and kept as a draft. A draft can be changed with Save the draft, or thrown away with Discard the draft. Its number stays on record as discarded.

Findings about the building code cannot share an order with other kinds of finding. If you mix them, Chiban says These findings mix building code and other violations. Issue a separate order for each kind.

Issue the order​

A draft shows Issue order with an Issue date, starting as today. Only a person on record as a designated enforcement officer on the issue date can issue it. Anyone else gets a message that they are not on record as designated. An administrator adds officers under Settings, Enforcement officers.

Chiban refuses to issue the order when:

  • the corrective action or any other required part of the order is missing. The message names what is missing;
  • the corrective action deadline is before the issue date;
  • an appeal has stayed enforcement;
  • the case is already in court, resolved or closed, or has no finding yet;
  • a finding on the draft was withdrawn or marked corrected after you drafted it. Discard the draft and draft a new one.

When it works, the case moves to Order issued, and the order PDF appears under Documents and photos as Cease and desist order with its number. The order block shows what it requires, the date issued and who issued it, with Open order.

The notice of violation comes first in the checklist, but Chiban does not stop you from issuing an order without one.

After the order is issued, see serving the order and handling answers.