Humboldt County, California, is moving to scrap a cannabis code enforcement system that residents and plaintiffs said allowed excessive daily fines and punished property owners for violations they did not commit. The change follows a settlement in a lawsuit brought by several homeowners represented by the nonprofit Institute for Justice.
Among the plaintiffs were Corinne and Doug Thomas, who said they faced more than $1 million in civil penalties after the county alleged that a previous owner, Summerville Creek LLC, had violated commercial cannabis land-use rules and building, plumbing and electrical codes on their property. The couple said they received notice just six days after moving in following a Los Angeles County wildfire and estimated it would cost $180,000 just to remove the disputed structures.
Under the county policy, fines could reach $12,000 a day for as long as 90 days, and they continued to accrue while owners waited for a hearing, which could take years. The Institute for Justice said code enforcement officers relied on satellite images to identify what looked like unauthorized development, then assumed without further evidence that the land was being developed for cannabis cultivation.
Other plaintiffs described similar disputes, including claims that penalties were being imposed based on code violations tied to previous owners. The settlement ends the challenged enforcement approach and marks a victory for residents who argued that they were being held liable for alleged violations they did not create.
