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Posted by [email protected] on Jan. 9, 2026 / Subscribe 2
This came from Bill Sexton, Public Works Specialist/Code Enforcement, from Bondurant.
Hello All,
-billS
Posted by [email protected] on Jan. 9, 2026 / Subscribe 2
This came from Bill Sexton, Public Works Specialist/Code Enforcement, from Bondurant.
Hello All,
-billS
2 Comments
Lucas Myhre Gonyier
Mar. 26, 2026
Over in Dubuque, I have had a Judge grant me a couple of Administrative Search Warrants. It starts with an Affidavit for Administrative Search Warrant. Find a good template online or from an AI chat bot. Lay out what you know to be an issue and why you need access. I always let our legal team look it over, and I have them file it with the Judge. Once the search warrant is granted, you only have so long to get it done, and I suggest taking any other department that may need access with you as well, such as Water, Public Works, Police, Fire, Engineering. They all may play a part in the path to compliance. Once the warrant is served, and the search is complete, you need to report back to the Judge your findings with a Return of Administrative Search Warrant. Again, just find a template to use.rnrnI suggest attending our upcoming online class with the Dallas Lynch Law Firm on April 29th. They should be able to provide some answers and insights for you.
Dave Christensen
Feb. 3, 2026
Hey Bill,rnrnI'm based out of Moville, over by Sioux City. It's a small town with a population of just under 1600. To afford me, they "lease" me out to some other towns to help the budget.rnrnIt sounds like what you're referring to is an "Administrative Search Warrant". I have done several of them over the years. It's not really something that you can "Ordinance" yourself into. Like you said in your post, there are some serious 4th amendment issues with letting yourself into someone's personal property. rnrnWhat I've done in the past is - first talk to the City Attorney. Let them know your plan and what you expect the conditions are inside the suspect building. Now you need to figure out a way to have a judge write you an order (administrative search warrant) so that you can enter onto (or into) the property and do your inspection. This isn't easy. Judges don't like to take things from people without proper "cause" or evidence. rnrnLet me give you an example:rnrnWe had a guy in his 70s; his house was a disaster on the outside (which I wrote him up for frequently) and I had a really good suspicion that the inside was even worse. He had 6 little dogs, that he would let out into the yard to go to the bathroom. The neighbors complained and he stopped letting the dogs out. He had a medical event where the EMTs were called in. They went into the house to help him and told me later that they had to bend over to keep from hitting their head on the ceiling as they climbed over all the trash to get where he was. The house had 9' ceilings. rnrnI spoke to the City Attorney. He recommended that I get at least one of them to sign an affidavit, stating what they saw. I did. We took the affidavit to the judge, along with an explanation from me what I would be looking for, and the judge granted the "Administrative Search Warrant".rnrnI called the City Police Chief, and we went to the house to execute the warrant. He had one of his County Sheriff's Deputy buddies with him, and I took another guy that worked with me at the time. (When you execute an administrative search warrant, always take someone to video the scene while you take still-photos) The cops knocked on the door; nobody answered. They were happy to kick in the door and we went inside. Needless to say, the house was a mess.rnrnMy point to all this is, you can get what you are looking for in your post. You just need to know how to do it. Feel free to give me a call or send me an email.rnrnI hope this helps,rnrnrn Dave Christensenrn City of Movillern Inspectorrn Cell (712) 899-0258rn