Can city now force tear down of burned-out Richland ‘junkyard’ house?
A dramatic fire at a Richland home awash in a sea of debris won’t alter efforts to secure court approval to clean it up.
The duplex at 2100 Pullen St., known for the vast amount of clutter engulfing the structure, suffered significant damage in a two-alarm blaze on June 4.
The cause remains under investigation.
Immediately after the fire, city crews bulldozed two paths through debris to the burned-out house. There has been little activity since but the fire prompted speculation it could speed up efforts to address the eyesore that has been building for about three years.
It won’t.
Richland Fire and Emergency Services installed a temporary fence and posted notices prohibiting anyone from entering the site, including the owner, Taylor Knipp. The fire marshal called the property an imminent safety threat.
The designation is striking, but does not open the door to a government-led clean up.
The house is one of Richland’s best-known nuisances.
Knipp and his now-former wife received numerous citations from Richland Code Enforcement to comply with city codes with no visible effort taken to comply.
As material spread to the public sidewalk and street, the city engaged Clean Up Crew LLC to keep them clear.
For months, the company hauled off material only to have more appear.
Two days before the fire, the Richland City Council doubled the cleanup firm’s contract to $200,000.
When the code enforcement approach failed, the city sued in Benton County Superior Court in 2025. It asked the court to declare the property a nuisance and issue an order of abatement.
An order would let the government agency step in and abate the nuisance, keeping it in compliance with 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure.
City officials say that remains its strategy.
“The abatement action pending in Benton County Superior Court remains active and will continue moving forward. The matter is proceeding generally as anticipated, taking into account the complexities of state and federal law and the City’s commitment to respecting the rights of residents throughout the process,” it said in a statement to the Tri-City Herald.
Code enforcement is typically an effective approach to solving complaints about garbage, overgrown weeds, derelict vehicles and low-hanging tree branches.
At a 2025 city council workshop to study nuisance cases, Heather Kintzley, the city’s attorney, about 98% of people who receive a code enforcement citation take care of the problem.
Officers are able to connect people with services if they need help, she said.
Constitutional protections
In rare cases such as 2100 Pullen St., the standard approach doesn’t work and requires court attention.
City officials can’t enter private property and remove items without permission, she cautioned the city’s elected officials, who face public pressure to do something.
“If we want to comply with constitutional protections, the Fourth Amendment, due process, we have to have a warrant of abatement if we want to go on someone’s property and take their stuff away,” Kintzley advised the council.
The 2100 Pullen Street case is scheduled for a pretrial conference on Aug. 13 and for a nonjury trial on Aug. 31.