Clallam County Code Enforcement Closes More Cases in 2025, but Staffing Limits Remain

Limited resources and complex legal process continue to constrain progress, officials say.

Published on Feb. 12, 2026

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Clallam County code enforcement closed significantly more cases in 2025, up from 170 cases in 2024 to 286 cases last year. Much of the work involved removing junk vehicles, with 165 vehicles cleared countywide in 2025 compared to 132 the year prior. However, code enforcement staff say they are limited by having only one-and-a-half officers and a complex legal process for vehicle removals, which requires multiple notices, site visits, and opportunities for appeal.

Why it matters

Clallam County has thousands of junk vehicles, and code enforcement officials say they would need about five staff members to actively address the issue, rather than relying on voluntary removals. The county also reported removing 25 tons of solid waste in 2025 through large property cleanups, often involving elderly residents, estates, or people facing financial or mental-health challenges.

The details

During a work session, commissioners reviewed the county's fourth-quarter code enforcement report. From October through December, staff closed 71 cases, bringing the 2025 total to 286. Much of that work involved junk vehicles, with 49 junk vehicles removed from 14 properties in the fourth quarter and 165 vehicles countywide last year, compared to 132 the year before. However, code enforcement staff say the process is very complicated under Chapter 19, and they would need about five staff members to actively address the issue of junk vehicles in the county.

  • From October through December 2025, code enforcement staff closed 71 cases.
  • In 2025, code enforcement closed a total of 286 cases, up from 170 cases in 2024.
  • In 2025, the county removed 165 junk vehicles countywide, compared to 132 the year prior.

The players

Diane Harvey

Code Enforcement Manager for Clallam County.

Clallam County Commissioners

The county commissioners who reviewed the code enforcement report during a work session.

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What they’re saying

“We only have one-and-a-half code enforcement officers. We have thousands of junk vehicles in our county. If we were to actually do really active code enforcement on junk vehicles — not voluntary removals, just the junk vehicles we have in our county — you'd have to give me about five staff members, because the process is very complicated under Chapter 19.”

— Diane Harvey, Code Enforcement Manager (myclallamcounty.com)

“Each property — if it's an encampment and junk vehicles, we tend to split it. We try to get the junk vehicles out first, work with the property owners, and then come up with a longer-term plan to address the encampment. If it's just somebody who's got, you know, 40 junk vehicles on their property, that's easier. And I can tell you, we do get a lot of requests to assist with cleanups, and we go there and use our own judgment as to whether we're going to deploy county funds to do it.”

— Diane Harvey, Code Enforcement Manager (myclallamcounty.com)

What’s next

Looking ahead, code enforcement has set goals for 2026, including closing 200 cases, removing 100 junk vehicles, completing six large cleanups, and exploring an amnesty program to resolve long-standing building permit violations.

The takeaway

Clallam County's code enforcement program has made progress in addressing junk vehicles and solid waste, but staffing limitations and a complex legal process continue to constrain their ability to fully address the scale of the issue. The county is exploring ways to streamline enforcement and increase resources to tackle the backlog of cases more effectively.