(a) Any person, firm, or corporation violating any of the provisions of this title, or failing to comply therewith, or violating or failing to comply with any order issued or made pursuant to its provisions shall severally and for each and every violation and noncompliance respectively, be guilty of a misdemeanor or shall be subject to a civil infraction as provided for by Chapter 7.80 RCW or any other remedy provided by law. Any person who violates or fails to comply with any of its requirements shall, upon conviction of a misdemeanor in a court of competent jurisdiction, be fined not more than one thousand dollars or be imprisoned for not more than ninety days, or both, and in addition shall pay all costs and expenses involved in the case. A person found to have committed a civil infraction shall be assessed a monetary penalty. All violations of this chapter shall be denominated Class I civil infractions. The maximum penalty and default amount for a Class I civil infraction shall be two hundred fifty dollars, not including statutory assessments. Each day such violation continues shall be considered a separate offense; however, no additional action will be initiated pending the disposition of any previous suit or complaint.

(b) It shall be the affirmative duty of the city prosecutor's office to seek relief under this section for violations of this title.

(c) Nothing herein shall prevent the city prosecutor's office from taking such other lawful action, legal and/or equitable, as is necessary to prevent or remedy any violation.

(d) In addition to any criminal proceedings brought to enforce this title and in addition to any fine or imprisonment provided for therein, continuing violations of this title may be enjoined or ordered abated in a civil proceeding for injunction or for abatement. For purposes of abatement actions, such violations are declared to be public nuisances. Any person, firm, or corporation violating the provisions of this title shall be liable for all costs of such proceedings, including reasonable attorney's fees and expenses of abatement. The provisions of this subsection are in addition to any other remedies available at law or equity.

(e) Nothing in this chapter shall be constructed as requiring the city to enforce the prohibitions in this title against all or any properties which may violate this title. The city has the discretion to enforce and prosecute violations of this title as the city's resources permit. Exercise of such discretion may result in the enforcement and prosecution of a limited number of violations at any given time. Nothing in this section or the absence of any similar provision from any other city law shall be constructed to impose a duty upon the city to enforce such other provision of law. (Ord. 2123, § 1 (Att.), 2021.)