A. If, in the judgment of the director, the site of an excavation is considered hazardous, constitutes a public nuisance, public emergency, or other imminent threat to the public health, safety, or welfare that requires immediate action, the director shall order the condition remedied by written, oral, telephonic or facsimile communication to the owner, applicant, or any agent thereof and shall designate the owner or applicant as the responsible party.

B. If the responsible party is inaccessible or fails, neglects, or refuses to take immediate action to remedy the condition as specified in said communication, the director shall remedy the condition or cause the condition to be remedied in such manner as the director deems expedient and appropriate. The person(s) identified by the director as the responsible party shall compensate the department for any reasonable costs associated with the administration, construction, consultants, equipment, inspection, notification, remediation, repair, restoration, or any other actual costs incurred by the department or other departments or agencies of the city made necessary by reason of the emergency remediation undertaken by the department. (Ord. 3801 § 1, 1997)