§ 19-101d — Enforcement of resolutions; penalties; prosecution in district court; enforcement of county codes and resolutions in certain counties

(a) (1) The board of county commissioners of any county shall have the power to enforce all resolutions passed pursuant to county home rule powers, as designated by K.S.A. 19-101c, and amendments thereto. Resolutions may be enforced by enjoining violations, by prescribing penalties for violations by fine, by confinement in the county jail or by both fine and confinement. Unless otherwise provided by the resolution that defines and makes punishable the violation of such resolution, the penalty imposed shall be in accordance with the penalties established by law for conviction of a class C misdemeanor. In no event shall the penalty imposed for the violation of a resolution exceed the penalties established by law for conviction of a class B misdemeanor.
(2) Prosecution for any violation shall be commenced in the district court in the name of the county and, except as provided in subsection (b), shall be conducted in the manner provided by law for the prosecution of misdemeanor violations of state laws. Writs and process necessary for the prosecution of such violations shall be in the form prescribed by the judge or judges of the courts vested with jurisdiction of such violations by this act, and shall be substantially in the form of writs and process issued for the prosecution of misdemeanor violations of state laws. Each county shall provide all necessary supplies, forms and records at its own expense.
(b) (1) In addition to all other procedures authorized for the enforcement of county codes and resolutions, in Crawford, Douglas, Franklin, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Miami, Riley, Sedgwick, Shawnee and Wyandotte counties, the prosecution for violation of codes and resolutions adopted by the board of county commissioners may be commenced in the district court in the name of the county and may be conducted, except as otherwise provided in this section, in the manner provided for and in accordance with the provisions of the code for the enforcement of county codes and resolutions.
(2) The board of county commissioners of any county which has not provided for the enforcement of county codes and resolutions in accordance with provisions of the code for enforcement of county codes and resolutions on or before July 1, 2007, and which desires to utilize the provisions of the code for enforcement of county codes and resolutions set forth in article 47 of chapter 19 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, and amendments thereto, shall cause a notice of its intention to utilize the provisions of the code for enforcement of county codes and resolutions set forth in article 47 of chapter 19 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, and amendments thereto, be published in the official newspaper of the county. If within 30 days next following the date of the publication of such notice a petition, signed by electors equal in number to not less than 5% of the electors of the county, requesting an election thereon, shall be filed in the office of the county election officer, no utilization of the provisions of the code for enforcement of county codes and resolutions set forth in article 47 of chapter 19 of the Kansas Statutes Annotated, and amendments thereto, may be made without such proposition having first been submitted to and having been approved by a majority of the electors of the county voting at an election called and held thereon. Any election shall be called, noticed and held in the manner provided by K.S.A. 10-120, and amendments thereto.
(3) For the purposes of aiding in the enforcement of county codes and resolutions, the board of county commissioners may employ or appoint code enforcement officers for the county who shall have power to sign, issue and execute notices to appear and uniform citations or uniform complaints and notices to appear, as provided in the appendix of forms of the code contained in this act to enforce violations of county codes and resolutions, but shall have no power to issue warrants or make arrests. All warrants shall be issued and arrests made by law enforcement officers pursuant to and in the manner provided in the Kansas criminal code.
(4) The board of county commissioners may employ or appoint attorneys for the purpose of prosecuting actions for the enforcement of county codes and resolutions. The attorneys shall have the duties, powers and authorities provided by the board that are necessary to prosecute actions under the code.
(5) All costs for the enforcement and prosecution of violations of county codes and resolutions, except for compensation and expenses of the district court judge, shall be paid from the revenues of the county. The board of county commissioners may establish a special law enforcement fund for the purpose of paying for the costs of code enforcement within the county.
(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b), any action commenced in the district court for the enforcement of county codes and resolutions, in which a person may be subject to detention or arrest or in which an accused person, if found guilty, would or might be deprived of the person's liberty, shall be conducted in the manner provided by law for the prosecution of misdemeanor violations of state laws under the Kansas code of criminal procedure and not under the code for the enforcement of county codes and resolutions.

Legislative History

L. 1976, ch. 149, § 1; L. 1976, ch. 150, § 1; L. 1988, ch. 102, § 1; L. 1990, ch. 66, § 22; L. 1997, ch. 147, § 8; L. 2005, ch. 170, § 1; L. 2007, ch. 142, § 4; L. 2007, ch. 195, § 9; L. 2011, ch. 30, § 106; July 1.