§ 5-3-7. Service and filing of complaints and orders; conduct of hearings.

(a)

Complaints or orders issued by a public officer charged with the administration of this article, or pursuant to this article, shall be served upon persons either personally or by registered mail; but, if the whereabouts of such persons are unknown and the person's whereabouts cannot be ascertained by the public officer in the exercise of reasonable diligence, and the public officer makes an affidavit to that effect, then the serving of such complaint or order upon such persons may be made by publishing the complaint or order once each week for two successive weeks in a newspaper printed and published in the city, or, in the absence of such a newspaper, in one printed and published in the county and circulating in the city. A copy of such complaint or order shall be posted in a conspicuous place on the premises affected by the complaint or order. A copy of such complaint or order shall also be filed in the proper office for the filing of lis pendens notices in the county in which the dwelling is located, and such filing of the complaint shall have the same force and effect as other lis pendens notices provided by law.

(b)

The rules of evidence prevailing in courts of law or equity shall not be controlling in hearings before the public officer.

(c)

This section shall apply only to any civil remedy and not to any criminal action which may be instituted.

(Code 1959, § 6-37; Ord. No. 1938, § 2(6), 11-28-00)