Martinsburg to Crack Down on Sanitation, Nuisance Violators

  Martinsburg officials plan to use the city’s new home rule authority to crack down on sanitation and nuisance violators.

Planning department head Michael Covell tells The Journal that the city will begin issuing warnings and citations to violators in July. Violations include unmowed lawns and open storage in residential districts.

Previously, city officials had to go through a lengthy legal process to force a property owner or tenant to clean up their property.

Martinsburg is among more than a dozen cities chosen in 2014 to participate in the home rule program. The program gives municipalities a larger say in how they govern by shifting power from the state to the local level.