Eagan Man and Woman Charged With Repeatedly Violating City Building Codes

An Eagan man and his mother are facing multiple charges of violating city building codes because authorities say they failed to have extensive renovation work on their Widgeon Way home inspected.

Wayne Michael Iepson, 52, and Lois Hudgins Iepson, 79, face four misdemeanor counts each of failure to obtain final inspection for work under a building code permit. Each charge carries a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine.

According to the complaints, an Eagan building inspector was completing a building permit inspection on a home in August 2009 when he noticed an unrailed deck on an adjoining property. The complaint says the inspector was unaware of a permit being issued for that property, owned by Lois Iepson.

The inspector went to Iepson’s home after he finished inspecting the other property and was met by Wayne Iepson, who also lives in the home and said he was doing all the renovation work on the property, according to the complaint. The inspector noted that new siding, windows and roofing had been installed in the home, and that the deck joists were being replaced.

The inspector knew that no permits had been issued for those jobs, so he issued a so-called correction notice, which requires the proper permits to be applied for within seven days.

In mid-October 2009, a citation was issued against Lois Iepson for failing to obtain building permits for the siding, windows, roof and deck work. In June 2010, Lois Iepson signed a plea agreement, which stipulated that the charges would be dismissed in six months if the city inspected the property no later than June 22, 2010, and that the property be brought into compliance with the building code by Dec. 14, 2010.

The same building inspector conducted an inspection of the property on June 22, 2010, and discovered that other work had been performed, with no building permits obtained. The inspector found new plumbing, electrical and mechanical work in the basement, along with a new kitchen – including cabinets, a sink, a dishwasher, a stove and a new heat duct system – being installed.

The kitchen wall’s exterior was exposed, and the inspector noted that new studs, new plumbing and new electrical wires had been installed, though no building permit had been issued.

The inspector advised Lois Iepson via letter of all the permits that were required for the work being done on her property. Last September, a plumbing permit and two mechanical permits were issued, and in November, Wayne Iepson delivered a building permit application for the siding, windows and exterior wall work. That permit was issued later in November.

In December, the inspector visited the Iepson property again. The plumbing work passed inspection, but two correction notices were issued on the mechanical permits. The Dec. 14 compliance deadline under the plea agreement was continued to Feb. 14, 2011, but as of Feb. 14, no progress had been made on the permits, according to the complaints.

Authorities say the Iepsons have not completed the required final inspections for the permits for the plumbing, the mechanical work, the siding, the windows or the exterior wall, and that they have not yet arranged for an inspection by the state electrical inspector.

The Iepsons are scheduled to be arraigned on the charges Aug. 5 in Dakota County District Court in Apple Valley.