Housing/Childhood Lead Investigations
The Division of Environmental Health is responsible for enforcing housing regulations throughout Merced County. The City of Merced has the only housing department within the county; therefore, the city has primary responsibility for enforcing housing regulations within the City of Merced. However, this Division will assist in its housing program as needed.
The California Health and Safety Code (section 17920 et. seq) relates to substandard housing and empowers agencies to enforce the provisions contained within. Section 17920.3 of the Health and Safety Code defines a substandard house. To review Section 17920.3 of the California Health and Safety Code, please click here.
The housing program responds to complaints and referrals from individuals and other agencies.
The Division prioritizes and responds to complaints accordingly. All attempts are made to gain voluntary compliance with the Health and Safety Code. Voluntary compliance is the most efficient and cost-effective method of enforcing housing code violations.
Should voluntary compliance not be achieved or where imminent hazards exist, there is a procedure that is followed to gain compliance. The procedures have been established to ensure that the residents of Merced County have housing that is safe and sanitary. A house may be posted as unfit to live in when compliance cannot be achieved voluntarily.
To read a summary of tenant’s rights, please click here.
DIVISIONS OF THE HOUSING PROGRAM
Childhood Lead Prevention Program:
The division investigates, in conjunction with Public Health nursing, all cases of childhood blood lead levels above 15 ug/l. The home environment is surveyed to determine lead sources such as paint, soil, water, medicine or cooking utensils. The division investigates approximately 25 cases per year. If lead is detected in the home, recommendations are made to prevent the lead from being ingested or inhaled.
For further information contact Paul Wrighton at (209) 381-1078 or pwrighton@co.merced.ca.us.
Employee Housing & Institutions:
The division annually inspects all jail facilities, organized camps and employee housing (labor camps). Approximately 27 employee housing facilities are permitted annually and complaints concerning substandard/illegal camps are routinely investigated.
Questions or complaints concerning these program areas should be directed to Hassan Golbad at (209) 381-1077 or hgolbad@co.merced.ca.us.
Substandard Housing/Posted Dwellings:
Whenever substandard conditions exist as defined in the California Health and Safety Code, and voluntary compliance cannot be achieved, this Division may post the house as substandard with signs stating " Do Not Enter." Once posted, no one is to enter the dwelling except when making repairs.
All posted houses remain posted until all repairs are made, a $468 clearance fee is paid, and a compliance inspection is passed. There are currently 235 posted houses in the county.
If an owner has no intention of making the needed repairs to a substandard dwelling, the dwelling should be demolished. There is a demolition fund that Environmental Health uses to carry out such demolitions that was established in 1995. Once the demolition is completed, the cost of the demolition is placed as a lien on the property.
The Merced County Division of Environmental Health is working in conjunction with the Merced County Fire Department to try and burn some of the posted dwellings in Merced County. During the winter months, the fire department will burn structures as a part of their training program. We are hoping to get owner cooperation, so that some of the substandard dwellings around the county can be burned in a training exercise. If you have a structure that you are interested in removing from your property, please contact the Merced County Fire Department, Training Division, at 385-7344.
