Distric Attorney/ Code Enforcement issues with your cars?

OMG... Yes I had a 1964 Impala SS parked in my drive way (car covered) and a 1958 Impala parked in the back side yard of the house behinde a fence...

I was cited and told a non running car has to be in a "Legal structure" or has to be able to be fully functional within 15 days...

I had to tow the 58 to my sisters garage... and send the 64 to a body shop (i had planed on doing it anyways)

and at the time i had just bought my current project (1949 Chevy truck)... but it runs... though i have issues with the halfass s10 swap that was done by the previous owner....

anyways... yes California is getting crazy with its laws... and Cali can't get any strictor on the automotive paints we are allowed to use... soon we'll have to get our cars and trucks painted out of state...

crazynessssssss

 

they'll find a way to fine you for that too i'm sure. cali can fall off the face of the earth for all i care, along with a few other states for that matter.

 

...of course anyone can get their cars painted anywhere they want to. I had one of our fire engines painted in another location and it saved $5,000...oh, and don't turn this into another I hate California thing.

 

Do you live here? NO! Why do others continually bash California? If you don't live in a place, how can you make an honest assessment of it? If there was no California, you would not have a computer to bitch about this. Nor would you have the bluejeans that you are wearing, along with thousands of other things. Lighten up.
Don't judge a man, until you've walked a mile in his shoes...

 

Is that truck like a light robbins egg blue, S10 subframe w/ a 12 bolt rearend/four bars & coil overs?

 

Wow,didn't you guys sink like the Titanic a while back? Don't start on Cali,because you won't like what I have to say about New Orleans. Cali is a great state if you can look past all the BS. Weather almost year around that you can cruise a convertible in around So. Cal.,and some of the most scenic places to cruise if you know where to go. And some of the most diverse cultures around.

 

I have a junky old parts car that I store in my back yard. I rob parts off of it for my real project at my leisure. The neighbors rightly complained about it.

MY SOLUTION:

Total investment: $18.00 and 1/2 weekend.

I got some free privacy fence panels from someone who was replacing theirs. There were enough good ones in the pile to build a mini 6 foot tall privacy fence all the way around my car in the back yard. I left enough room on the sides and especially in the front to work on it. I didn't bother putting posts in the ground. I merely nailed the panels together so that the end panels kept the side panels from falling over and then triangulated them with spare boards from the fence.

Around here, Code Enforcement needs a search warrant to step on your land. They can, however, get your neighbor's permission to peer over their privacy fence with a ladder.

My privacy fence needed a roof. So I nailed some support 2x4's across the top for support, laid some fence panels on top of them, and nailed them in place. If I had cared about the car and wanted to keep the rain off of it, I'd have draped a brown tarp across the 2x4's first before nailing the privacy fence panels on top of them.

The roof is about 6 inches lower than the tops of the side panels so that when you look at it from the street or my neighbor's house, it just looks like another privacy fence, instead of a structure. A proper building would have required some sort of codes and permits, I'm sure.

No one can see weather I have an old car, captive emus, or 200 boxes of Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots in there. Since code enforcement doesn't know if it's a car, they don't know if I should have a concrete slab or not. Since it looks like privacy fence, my neighbors are happy and don't complain. It looks like it belongs there because it looks like their yards. It's a kind of "urban camouflage."

The front roof panel over the engine is loose so I can prop it up with a couple of 2x4's when I'm working on it. (similar to raising a hood with a couple of prop rods on either side). That provides head room and light. It opens away from the street so no one can peer in.

The dogs have claimed it as their new mansion.

I hope that might give someone some ideas to solve their dilemmas.

 

I know this is not the place for politics, but I would like to thank Mazooma & LaSabra for speaking out about the hypocrisy of a certain segment of our political asylum. Back to task, there are two old cliches that play into this discussion, #1 " There is no place like home" [sounds like Fishbeck has been in the same spot for a long time and likes it] # 2 You cant fight city hall", this typically takes deep pockets and only seems to work out for developers & big buisness. My suggestion Fishbeck, sell off a couple of those cars and build yourself something NICE, [how about a shop] It would help take the sting out of parting with some of your stuff! I thinned out my herd awhile back, yep I miss it sometimes but it has helped me focus on the stuff I kept! Remember, if you build something half assed in your back yard you will draw more attention to yourself not less! Just suggestions I might get kicked in the nuts for, oh well. Good luck, hope it works out for you. John

 

a lot of these laws are designed to try and stop the old car hobby, if you can't work on them,you can't build them. This isn't the united states anymore when people fly over your property telling you what you can,and can't do on your own land.

 

They are not designed to eliminate the car hobby. The codes are designed to eliminate what most people feel is "blight". Many people think that motorhomes, boats, and hobby cars "under-construction" are an eyesore. Thats why these codes are passed.
Some communities require that only certain colors can be used when you paint your house. I know someone who was fined by their homeowners association for not having a lawn. If you are one of those people that want to live in a cookie-cutter bland community, then these places are for you.
I choose to not live in a community that has HOA's. From what I've heard, there is more backstabbing politics that goes on the a HOA meeting than at any city hall.

 

People that consider motor homes and cars in the back yard of a neighbor as a problem, are fuckin' busybodies.

Fuckin' busybodys know no political boundries.
Lame-brains, on both sides blame the other side for the problems our coutry are having. Selfish, short-sighted people, spoiled by easy living, with too much time on their hands are the main causes of our problems.

The worst ones are the ones that look upon the neighborhood as "theirs" wanting cookie cutter neighbors. They somehow imagine they have the right to dictate a neighbor's activity. They to be looked upon with pity. They are selfish, sad, incomplete, and can't comprehend, even to the point of envy, somebody that don't sweat the small shit.

Anybody that signs onto a HOA when buying a house are among the selfish, lazy, poumpous, that imagine in their pea-sized brains that their way of thinking is right. It is self-serving, anti-social, and outright selfish. Nothing is going to change that. The only hope is their offspring will realize the vacuum they are living in is not acceptable, that neighbors are important to them. Then possibly in the coming generations our country will get back to being friendly, not alien, to our neighbor.

Any solution varies with the specific circumstance. It's not necessary to change them. All I can do is sound off, and as an individual, just get them off MY back and tone down, on their activist behavior. There is an old saying, fight fire with fire. At 72 with some experience in the game, I can usually figure out a way to outsmart them, using my intellect and audacity to find out who they are, then turn their shallow and pitiful activity back on them. Most times, they retreat and leave me alone. It don't always work. In my lifetime I have moved a couple of times to escape, because the pompous assholes outnumbered me.
In a neighborhood where city employees drive around "enforcing", where the majority of the population there continue to vote in the same old knuckle-heads, I would certainly remove myself, pronto. I have done that on occasion.

If you can't beat them, join them, or move..............There are still places to live in this country where people get along with their neighbors.

 

Everyone ought to be better educated BEFORE they move ANYWHERE.
If there are laws/codes that do not appeal to you, then do not move there.
Don't expect "them" to change longstanding laws/codes just for you.

The same can be said about the people who want airports, factories, race tracks, etc. to be shut down even though those establishments have been in operation for years and probably pre-date the construction of your house. If you move next to something that makes noise and/or anything else that displeases you, don't go bitching to city hall.
As an adult, you are responsible for your decisions. Don't expect a neighborhood to change for you and if there is any type of activity in the area that might make you unhappy (race track, factory, etc.) don't expect those activities to magically shut down because you are unhappy.

Buyer beware...do your homework before you move.

 

"If you can't beat them, join them, or move"

That's exactly the kind of defeat they're looking for. There's very little positive sentiment in your statement that helps one deal with a problem that exists for many of us in all 50 states.

There's something else I've done in the past with success. It's rediculous, impossible to prove or disprove, and it's just as much within one's right to do so. I have an uncontrollable fear of golf clubs, bowling balls, motorhomes and boats. That includes travel trailers. All of my neighbors need to rid themselves of these things to stop me from filing complaints against them. I would agree to try and manage my fears if they'd leave me alone as I work through the 'therapy' of my old car hobby. Like I said it's a crazy thing and nobody has a right to tell you what you can fear or not fear. Dad and I used this rationale when it came time to build a 3 1/2 car garage and the neighbors tried to stop us. The city granted our permit and that garage still stands today (since the 70s).

 

wow!!!! Thanks guys... you have made me feel a LOT better about living in the toolies.
I sometimes dream wistfully about the Cali lifestyle and climate, Now I am happy to live out in the middle of nowhere.
Only drawback... we have the same (P.I.C.) "illegal" problem here. I live in a town that has a meat packing plant .

My fav. quote...." calling an illegal imigrant an "undocumented worker" is like calling a crack dealer an "unlicensed pharmacist"."

 

don't feel bad, some places call looters, "unconventional shoppers"

 

i lived in san diego for 4 years and there are millions of reasons why i don't live there anymore.

as for the issues with new orleans, no it ain't perfect, but at least it's real.
i'm not saying anything about anyone on this board personally as i don't know anyone enough for that, but with all the b.s. in cali, i don't care what the weather is, whether or not i can surf this morning and then go snow skiing this afternoon or how perfect anyone says it is there, i value my personal freedom more than any of those things. if i own my home, i'm not going to have someone tell me what color i can paint it or whether or not i can have a project vehicle in my back yard or use a power tool at noon o'clock or any of the other problems people have described about living in cali. it just isn't worth it to me.

 

hell, here in new orleans we called them cops. (there's pictures to prove it) also the national gaurd did a great job of looting.......er "unconventional shopping".

 

I'm certainly glad no one on this tread has any strongly held opinions about anything. Ahh, what was the topic again?

 

amen!

 

while yes you are right on this, the op's problem isn't having moved to a new place and not liking the existing issues, his problem is, he's been there for a long time, 40ish years, and too many b.s. laws popping up around him changing the way he has to live his life. the worst part is he's been told he was "grandfathered" in and wouldn't have to worry about this.

 

the problem is, people DO move next to racetracks, and airports and then succeed in shutting them down. doesn't matter if the place has been there 50 years, the nice cookie cutter homes seem to be more important. It's not just home owners associations, notice it has an ass in it? it's entire cities and counties now trying to tell you what you can and can't do with your own property. How long do you think it will be before they get warrants to see whats inside of your garage? they can already get warrants to raid your back yard

 

This shit used to happen to me. I lived in Oceanside,Cali. for 29 years. I moved to Crockett,Texas. I'm 150 miles north of Houston and 175 miles south of Dallas. I can do or weld whatever the hell I want to. My neighbor across the street has 80 cows...My friend Joe Brunner has 165 cars at his place... Mikey

 

You are correct. I live by simple principles, but I am in the minority. I would never consider that a neighborhood, or town or whatever change just because I've moved in. I know a lot of you guys would agreed with that.
I do stand by my original post...do your homework before moving. It won't guarantee that nitwits won't mess up your plans but then at least you can go to the podium at shitty hall with the very valid argument that you were in a neighborhood that didn't have a law against "whatever it is that they are trying to change".
You'll have common sense on your side and it will make you case stronger by having that foundation.

 

Why do you think "common sense" will work at city hall, it rarely works anywhere else?

 

So, what are going to do? Nothing?...How far will doing nothing get you?

 

After reading,and reading.... here's what's going on in my neck-o-the woods....with cities struggleing, cut-backs,revenue from building inspectors,planning,permits,and all that other jaz, they're forced to find other sources of revenue. Sad but true.The powers to be are now finding ways to increase income and will do more that normal to keep the cash flow coming in. i got a parking ticket for having my car stick out 4, yes 4 inches from my propertyline. I called the guy(lucky I work on his car) and told him WTF? I ripped up the ticket. It doesn't deture from the post as that with the economy the way it is,they're scratching at everything. Although looking at local laws first is always a good thing,things are getting tougher,and they're crackin harder. We can always try to be smarter,but sometimes it takes a prick to ruin everything.You can always pick your place to live,but unfortunatelly,you can't pick those who live by you. If I had my choice,I'd live by car guys! .02 C worth!

 

USA !!!!!! Land of the free they tell me ?

Reading above it looks like USA Citizens are only free to do what the city officials
or Neighbors say then can

Or am I reading this all wrong?

 

Kiwi.... looking on it would seem that way wouldn't it????

I love this country, but it is easier for me because I don't have a bunch of beaurocrats telling me what to do on my own property. ( well in a sense I do but not to the extent described above.)

Today our country has too many people who are "zealots" about their cause. (in my opinion)
I think we should preserve and maintain the planet and not just destroy it, but some people take it too far.
My views are different than my neighbors... probably different than yours...ect.
A lot of people have taken it upon themselves to try to "protect" us from US. Self appointed crusaders out to save humanity, because in their opinion it needs saving.
I work as an electrician and when I see someone doing something dangerous, I joke about trying to stop them. "You are interfering with the natural process of evolution"
The problem arises when you get enough of them together that they have an influence on zoning laws, ect....
But then.... thats Democracy.... right???
I am thankful I live in a neighborhood of middle class working people, many who are "car guys" or at least understand it. I have had several come to my house and ask for help with a vehicle. They are like me in that they either can't afford to go to a mechanic, love to do it themselves, or maybe just want to save money.
Sounds like the majority of "neighbors" the posters above have, don't have a clue about cars or the hobby.
I had one neighbor (really nice guy) tell me one time how envious he was that I could have a "project" in my driveway without my WIFE pitching a fit. I feel sorry for the guy as he is pretty knowledgeable about cars, and has made some really good suggestions to me.
I told him to come over any time he wanted and hang out.
If you look around..... you can always find someone who has a worse situation than you do.

 

I'm glad you asked. There are plenty of places where life is good. Some people just let the busybodies run their life. They can't/won't move out of a busybody neighborhood, even seem to enjoy complaining about it instead of being proactive.

For me, along with millions of others, life is good..........so far, but times is 'a changin'.

 

Like I've said before, different parts of the country handle things differently. Here in my town the building inspector is also the fire cheif and probably half a dozen other job titles as well and he dosn't bother anyone. One of the town clerks who is a friend of mine told me "off the record" they pretty much could care less what anyone does as long as nobody complains. From what I'm reading CA is a really messed up place to live. It's pretty sad to think that the place where hot rodding was born has government that's trying their best to kill it.