Chelan County Will Pursue Code Compliance Complaints Against Christian Crosses

Chelan County Sheriff Mke Morrison says his office will be contacting the owners of the Christian cross located on Wenatchee Heights above the city of Wenatchee and another under construction on Tumwater Mountain outside Leavenworth over code compliance violations.

Chelan County Community Development Director Deanna Walter has determined the crosses are defined as signs under county ordinance and were not properly permitted and violate height restrictions in the case of the Wenatchee Valley cross.

Morrison says Walter plans to take action to ensure compliance and the Prosecuting Attorney Robert Sealby is also supporting enforcement of the code requirements.

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A notice and order to correct any violations will be issued by the Sheriff’s Office. A civil citation will be issued for non-compliance, and the matter may be taken to court.

Morrison says a decision on whether the Leavenworth project is allowed to proceed or if the current Wenatchee Valley cross must be altered is up to the Community Development office.

Morrison is also clarifying his department's role in Code Enforcement. The Chelan County Sheriff’s Office Code Enforcement team investigates and enforces civil code violations within the county, working closely with the Community Development team. The team responds to complaints from citizens and code compliance issues observed by law enforcement.