Essex’s three bylaw officers, one full-time and two part-time, handled 282 cases in the last half of 2025.
A report to council on Monday night showed 120 complaints came directly from residents, while the rest were found through proactive patrols.
Property standards made up the bulk of the work, mostly tall grass, weeds, and exterior debris.
Mayor Sherry Bondy said a review of the property standards bylaw is underway following a motion by council last year.
"What do we want the Town of Essex to look like? Do we want every yard to be pristine and cookie cutter? Or do we want to allow more natural gardens? This is something that we're going to be reviewing for the next year at the town to see what kind of community we want to live in," she said.
According to the report, there were no short-term rental violations issued during this period, however staff expect that to change as summer approaches.
Bondy said residents are now required to renew their licence yearly instead of every three years.
"If you do own a short-term rental, ensure you go through the proper steps," Bondy said.
"We don't want our staff to have to go lay any fines or any tickets on anybody. We want everybody to be up and running, busy tourism season, we want to have these amazing short-term rentals here for our visitors, tourists, our family members. We just have to ensure that they are following the licence process."
Most bylaw complaints are still being made by phone, with far fewer using the town’s online Report a Problem tool.
She encouraged residents to begin using the online tool.
"The best way to enter an issue at town hall is through the Report a Problem process," Bondy said.
"It gets recorded, it gets tracked, and then it gets put into a list for our staff to do."
Bondy said the next bylaw report is expected to council in July.