I found the articles questions funny. it asks "Why it was their responsibility to make sure that Speronis’s environment was safe—since her environment affected only her—is unclear." this is in reference to why the city want to check her
electrical.
Although the writer may believe her
electrical situation impacts only her they could be very wrong about that should the house catch on fire due to her failure to have taken out a permit and have the any changes she has made to her
electrical system to accommodative her
solar system inspected. Grow ops in cites are also a big concern as they do have frequent fires due to wacky wiring and they can & do take the neighbours homes down with them. Same with serious hoarders the can if things get out of hand have an unsafe living conditions that not only put them but their neighbours at risk. Thats city living for you! ;-)