<\/p>\n
Fresno City Hall is seen in a Bee file photo from March 2021.<\/p>\n
JOHN WALKER<\/p>\n
Fresno Bee file<\/p>\n
The Fresno City Council on Thursday voted to change city law to allow officers to enter areas of private property considered public, such as front porches or driveways, without a warrant for code enforcement purposes.<\/p>\n
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz previously told The Fresno Bee officers will still seek consent or warrants as required by the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution<\/a>, which protects people against unreasonable searches and seizures. But he added that the Fourth Amendment doesn\u2019t require warrants \u201cto go to someone\u2019s front door.\u201d<\/p>\n Community members who spoke during Thursday\u2019s council meeting said they were concerned the change makes it easier for officers to convince residents to waive their rights against unwarranted searches. City officials called it a \u201ccommon sense\u201d move that is intended to crack down on \u201cslumlords\u201d who repeatedly violate housing standards and have been able to use the city\u2019s own laws to avoid inspections and penalties.<\/p>\n District 3 Councilmember Miguel Arias said during the meeting that the change will allow code enforcement officers, who respond to community complaints about substandard properties, to inspect buildings from the outside and determine next steps.<\/p>\n \u201cThe vast majority of these buildings are within neighborhoods where kids play,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have an obligation to be able to conduct an inspection.\u201d<\/p>\n The council\u2019s decision stems from a Fresno County judge\u2019s ruling<\/a> in January that a code enforcement official inspecting a rental property violated the city\u2019s own Municipal Code when he entered the property without consent or a warrant. Fresno residents had complained about the property and the city found serious violations, including evidence of an insect infestation. But the judge ordered the city to abandon fines against the owners for problems for uncorrected violations.<\/p>\n Janz said the judge\u2019s ruling interpreted the city\u2019s Municipal Code as requiring officers to have a warrant even to conduct visual inspections of property. He called it a \u201cloophole\u201d that landlords have been able to take advantage of.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Municipal Code has created a standard that is in excess of what the Fourth Amendment would require,\u201d Janz said during the meeting.<\/p>\n He said he wants residents to \u201crest assured\u201d because code enforcement officers \u201cunderstand that they need to have either consent or a warrant to enter private residences.\u201d He said he\u2019s also spoken to Fresno Police Chief Mindy Casto about the new law.<\/p>\n \u201cHer officers will continue to follow the law as it applies to the Fourth Amendment,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n This story was originally published March 27, 2026 at 4:23 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Fresno Bee<\/p>\n![\"Fresno](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1773870308_800_FRS_EPZ_JANZ_SPEAKS_02.jpeg\" "\\"FRS_EPZ_JANZ_SPEAKS_02\\"")
Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz speaks about the recent subpoena of two journalists in an interview Monday, April 14, 2025 in Fresno. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com <\/p>\n
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