This article was co-authored by Camila Lopez and by wikiHow staff writer, Eric McClure. Camila Lopez is an Attorney based in California. She co-founded People Clerk, a firm that helps individuals navigate the court system in an easy and affordable way. In 2024, People Clerk was acquired by fellow legal organization JusticeDirect Law, where Camila now serves as a Legal Educator. Her passion is breaking down complicated legal processes so that people without an attorney can get justice. As the Chief Legal Architect at People Clerk, she designed the company’s platform so that individuals can learn how to pursue their small claims lawsuits on their own. As a trained mediator, she is also passionate about the out-of-court resolution of disputes. Prior to JusticeDirect and People Clerk, she worked in plaintiff’s mass torts litigation and in consumer protection at the New York Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Frauds and Protection. She received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Economy from the University of California, Berkeley, and attended Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law in New York City, where she received the Mark Whitlock Scholarship for her effort, energy, spirit, and initiative that strengthened student life.
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Nothing’s more annoying than getting a fine you weren’t expecting—especially if someone in your community went behind your back to alert the authorities. If you’re lucky, figuring out who crossed you will be super easy and their name will be on the report. However, you may need to do a little more detective work if the report was anonymous. In any case, take a deep breath and let the anger out—we’ve got your back. In this article we’ll show you how to figure out who called Johnny law (if it’s possible). Read on to learn more.
Things You Should Know
- Scan your city or state’s public records website for a search engine and enter your code violation info to see if the complainant is listed.
- Call the code enforcement agency and ask them who called the complaint in. If you’re nice, they’ll often tell you.
- Building and HOA code complaints are anonymous by law in many cities and states, so you may not be able to find out who called.
- It’s also possible that nobody called code enforcement—an inspector might have seen the violation when they were in the area.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Tips
References
- ↑ https://rivco.org/services/public-works-land-use-and-environment/code-enforcement
- ↑ https://www.volusia.org/services/growth-and-resource-management/code-enforcement/
- ↑ https://dos.ny.gov/laws-and-regulations-division-building-standards-and-codes
- ↑ https://www.dhs.gov/steps-file-foia
- ↑ https://www.nashvillescene.com/news/coverstory/code-snitching-nashvillians-are-weaponizing-metro-codes-against-undesirable-neighbors/article_5e94bd56-0c67-11ed-af4e-e3d04ad7e500.html
- ↑ https://www.volusia.org/services/growth-and-resource-management/code-enforcement/
- ↑ https://lasvegassun.com/news/2017/aug/21/how-to-deal-with-residential-conflict/
- ↑ https://www.volusia.org/services/growth-and-resource-management/code-enforcement/
- ↑ https://www.mass.gov/massachusetts-state-building-code-780-cmr