Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has offered these tips for spotting an illegal marijuana grow house in your neighborhood:

• Immediate indoor construction following the purchase of a residence.
• Construction occurring during darkness hours and on weekends.
• Construction primarily inside detached buildings and garages.
• No move in of household belongings, appliances, furniture, etc.
• Middle aged men being the only persons visiting the residence.
• Luxury vehicles randomly arriving at the residence.
• Unusual patterns of human activity (persons seldom there, then an influx of traffic).
• Unusual lighting, such as interior lights constantly on, or increased security lighting.
• Large diesel generators on the property.
• Additions to detached buildings and garages.
• Installation of air conditioning units.
• Air conditioning units operating in cold weather.
• Installation of solar panels.
• Installation of solid perimeter fencing, or security fencing.
• Installation of multiple surveillance cameras.
• Overall lack of care and maintenance for landscaping.
• Strong odor of marijuana emitting from buildings on the property.
• Exterior windows being covered from inside the residence.
• Large aggressive dogs roaming the property.
• Ventilation ducting installed in odd locations on the residence.
• Alterations to electrical panels.

This is part of the January 28, 2022 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

Have an opinion on this matter? We'd like to hear from you.