I already wrote a letter

Have you waited 3 weeks since sending the letter?

You’ll need to wait for 3 weeks after you send the letter for a response. If you have already waited 3 weeks and have not received a response, then let’s continue.

For next steps: You can start by calling the county assessor to find out if your home is permitted or not. (It’s important not to skip this step).

Ask them the following:
How many units are registered at the address?
What is the type of home registered (duplex, single family home, …)?

Here are some examples of how you can figure out whether your unit is permitted or unpermitted:
If the number of units does not match what the county assessor is saying, then at least one of the units in your building is unpermitted.
If you live in a “duplex” and the county assessor says it is a single-family house, one unit is probably unpermitted.
If you live in a back cottage or “in-law” and the assessor has no records of the cottage, it is probably unpermitted.

Other signs of your unit not being permitted are:
Your unit having no windows, low celilings, or no dedicated mailbox.

So, based on what you know do you have an idea if your unit is permitted or unpermitted? Because the next steps are different depending on your type of unit and because unpermitted units are at risk to get red-tagged by the city, if you are not 100% sure, it’s important to talk to a community organization (under resources) to get support in figuring it out.