Enfield will now allow anonymous blight complaints

This is the revised blight complaint form. The anonymous complaint note is new and was approved by the Town Council June 1. 

The Town Council this week has approved revisions to Enfield's blight ordinance and complaint procedures that allow anonymous complaints. This is a significant policy change.

Enfield's new complaint form says that while anonymous complaints are accepted, they "may receive lower priority." But that doesn't mean they won't be enforced.

The argument for anonymous complaints is that some residents may fear retaliation from neighbors, landlords, or property owners.

The argument against them is that anonymous complaints can draw code enforcement into neighbor disputes.

Will the change affect complaint volume? Possibly. In 2021, Florida adopted a state law prohibiting anonymous code-enforcement complaints. In 2022, the Sarasota News Leader reported that complaints in Sarasota County declined by 39% after the law took effect.

Another notable change is that blight conditions no longer appear to be limited to what is visible from a public street. Conditions visible from an adjacent property may now be considered.

For example, a homeowner could keep the front yard neatly maintained but allow a backyard to become overgrown. Under the revised ordinance, that backyard may be subject to enforcement if it meets the ordinance's definition of blight.

Enfield allows a one condition to constitute blight. Grass over 12 inches can be considered blight. Brush piles, junk accumulation, certain vehicle conditions, persistent trash, and other maintenance issues may also qualify. These were existing provisions.

The ordinance provides for fines of $100 per day after the notice and enforcement process is completed.

Other towns take a different approach. Tolland, for example, generally focuses on more serious deterioration and health-and-safety concerns. Its ordinance generally requires at least three visible signs of deterioration before a property is considered blighted and specifically excludes many cosmetic issues, including peeling paint, damaged gutters, and driveways in disrepair. Tolland also requires vegetation to exceed 36 inches.

Editorial point: This revision needs oversight. Since the town is now allowing for anonymous complaints, town officials should be required to generate an annual report showing trends in complaints and enforcement actions. Otherwise, citizens will have to file FOIA to seek data and assess the impact of this law over time.

The Blight Committee's view has been that it is reasonable, and seeks to work with residents, not punish them. But enforcement issues begin well before the committee ever receives a complaint. Town inspectors will now be faced with the prospect of having to take more enforcement actions because of anonymous complaints.