No Service or Repair of vehicles!

I saw the closed thread about car parts in yards in CA and hope I don't break the rules here as the FNG. I apologize if I do and expect censure if that's the case.

After 1 neighbor's continual, generally unfounded complaints to the town for noise coming from my garage, which have ceased BTW, the town has cited an ordinance stating "Service and Repair of vehicles" is prohibited in residential zoned areas. In reading the ordinance, its obvious the intent is a business, which they also accused me of because of friend's vehicles, but have since backed down on that. All this work is INSIDE my garage and now ALWAYS with the doors closed.

On the former they have stated that I must stop "Service and Repair" even of my own vehicles within 10 days or be fined, pay for their costs, lawyers, etc...

I find it nearly impossible to believe and certainly unamerican that such an ordinance is on the books in the first place, but don't really foresee spending tens or hundreds of thousands to fight it on my own. Are there organizations that might take up such a cause?

Yes, the COE project is being put on hold in the meantime.

 

I thought that N H was the live free and die state?

 

contact your congressman.

 

That is amazing!! I can't imagine that!

Contact Hemmings, SEMA, Car Craft, Hot Rod, your local news station and newspaper, everyone you can think of that could possibly put some heat to them. Then photocopy the list with all the contact info and pass it out to every car guy you know so they can contact them as well! Maybe even stop at retirement homes, give people a reason to complain.

These idiots don't care about the individual, you need as much firepower as you can get.

 

a good lawyer should find a lawsuit in this. A whole ordinence aimed at one person ! Some subdivisions have the no repair ordinence in public but never heard of them stating even inside the cinfines of closed quarters , that is going way over board .
We might as well get numbers tattooed on our wrists......oh wait we already have SS cards .......

 

What is in writing in the local covenants of the community? In other words there has to be a certain ordinance on the books that they are accusing you of violating. They have to be able to show you to codes on the books that you are violating and it can't be just because the neighbor doesn't like old cars or hot rods.

That is the problem with buying the nice house with the good garage in the good neighborhood close to the good schools. It all comes with restrictions because your neighbors don't want to see "junky" old cars or commercial vehicles sitting around.

Not taking one side or the other but Is it the noise from working in the garage or the noise because you can't seem to work in the garage without the boom box blasting away at full decibels? Between my buddy's air compressor at one end of his shop and the radio blasting away loud enough for him to hear it over the air compressor at the other end no one within a quarter mile could hear anyone working in the shop or in front of it. You may be thinking he is complaining about banging on fender and he may be complaining about the air compressor that kicks on 24/7 or the radio that comes on when you turn the light switch on and stays on until you turn the lights off.
Also does the neighbor work shift work and have to sleep when you are out in the shop?

It might not even have started because you are working in the garage. It might be because the neighbors are tired of hearing the pipes on your car or your buddy's cars or the music from your or your buddys car sound systems is too loud for them when you come or go. There are a lot of ways to piss the neighbors off an there are even more ways for them to get back at you.

 

Man
I have been a dirty no good for the better part of my life and have never been important enough to have an ordnance passed against me. I am not a rich man myself but I do keep an attorney on retainer (comes from being a dirty no good I suppose).

If it were me I guess I would be looking into hiring an attorney, or just work on my car in my garage and let them take me to court.

A couple of years ago I had a local code Nazi tell me that I could not work on my own car in my own driveway. I politely told him to put his money where his mouth was and then informed him that we would be trying it in the state supreme court before all was said and done. I still work on my own car in my own driveway.

You probably shouldn't do that I would look for an attorney's advice.

 

Even a bad one could. The city doesn't get to tell you that you can or cannot work on your on car (or someone elses) in your garage.

 

Yea, at the risk of sounding political this is still the land of the free and the home of the brave. There is an ever growing number of us that have fought to keep it that way.

 

You need some Sound Insulation.

 

No just sound advice.

 

mebbe contact the big auto parts companies at corporate level that deal with sales to individuals (napa, autozone, oreilly)and let them know the town is trying to start a trend that could eventually put them out of business, mebbe they will help with their corporate money and influence.

 

What does the Ordinance actually say?

 

I live in NH and I've never heard of such a thing. It must be some stupid city or town thing. But I would get a lawyer. As long as you are not running a business, I can't see why they have a right to stop you, as long as you aren't making excessive ammounts of noise in the middle of the night.
Good Luck!

 

If the rule is as you say, that case has been won in various places. They can impose restrictions, but not specifically working on cars. The trouble is, you are in a position of having to prove them wrong.

Maybe they would rather hear the sound of a chainsaw cutting firewood, a table saw ripping 12 foot long 2x8s, a wood chipper cutting up brush, or any number of other annoying things one might legally do.

In the end I think the best solution is to live on a large parcel of land, on a dead-end road, in a place where the municipality doesn't attempt to regulate everything from what time your trash cans can be put out to what color you can paint your house and how you chose to landscape.

 

Definately a stupid town thing. The verbage is in something called the "Permitted Use tables" which lists activities that can be performed or not in various zones. This one lists "light service and repair" as allowable in Commercial but not in Residential. It's enforced only by complaints.

 

check your state laws regarding collector cars etc. might override idiotic local laws. by the way which town or city is this

 

shoot your neighbors....

(oops i can spell)

 

and then shoot them.

 

My HOA came after me for the same.
I told them what goes on in my hanger and in my bedroom was none of their damn business.
They could see where this was headed and backed down.
BTW.....I am now on the Board of Directors.

 

Thank you

 

Find the complainant and offer to help him with his car(s)

 

bunch of shit. no service or repair of vehicles. makes a person want to put up an 8 foot fence around the house and paint fuck you all over it.

 

I can't believe they are still pushing it if you are doing all work INSIDE your garage.
Other than "condo" or other set-ups that have an extra layer of "association" rules, in New Hampshire, I have only seen towns give folks grief for:
- noise (per hours defined in noise ordinance)
- over a certain number of unregistered vehicles visible on property
- unsafe "stuff" outside
- or, as mentioned, anything construed as a business.

If you're in southern NH, come on over ! I got plenty of room in my driveway ! and car friendly neighbors ! I was out there all weekend working on tearing down and mocking up my 1939 Ford truck project.

 

i had a neighbor like that------had the zoning board etc etc up at my place very few weeks-------he told them i was running a business out of my home garage---i have a few cars in my garage-----the zoning guys said i could spray up to a gallon of paint a month if i wanted to-----so i made sure to do that for a few months and eventually the prick neighbor figured it out------i was going to make it worse for him than it was---he was just ''one of those'' so i did everything in my power to piss him off----he didnt like my loud cars---i was nice before he complained---i wouldnt get them going early or real late--------after the complaints id make sure to rapp the windows in his house every time i came home ------------------------its tough to live next to people like that----glad he moved out

 

The way I read it, they are citing an already existing regulation. Or, mis-interpreting an existing regulation, more likely.

I'm with everyone else. Talk to a lawyer.

 

The city engineer suggested that minus the "fuck you" part when I was having a problem with the code nazzi. When I sggested that i was ready to go to court if he was he pretty much backed off. I am pretty careful to clean up when i am done working for the day but that is because i like my neighbors more than any other reason. No one really wants to live next to a dirt bag.


I seem to get along real well with my neighbors it could be because they can get help with their cars or whatever when they need it. When we were putting the HAMB drags engine in the Raven's roadster this year (on my driveway) one morning I was out at 7:00 AM with the door up and Lenerd Skynerd just blarin'. I didn't think about it. The 84 year old lady across the street came walking over and I realized that the stero was just blarin'. I appologiozed, she handed me a cup of coffee and sat down in a chair on my porch. I asked if she was OK and she grinned and said, " I always liked those kids." So I sat down with her and drank my coffee. When the album was over she got up and went home.

Another way around the city is to make friends with the neighbors.

 

A number of years ago I got into a dispute with the city. Some of the laws they were bothering me about were eventually changed. Long story, but the ordinance officer really was out of line. Anyway, surprisingly, telling him to kiss my a$$ didn't make things better. I ended up in court with a jury trial acting as my own lawyer.(for the record, not a good plan) The story played out a lot like the Alice's Restaurant song, complete with 8x10 color glossies with circles and arrows.

 

I would spend a weekend, driving around and documenting with photos, addresses and dates, every single car that I could find, in a driveway or open residential garage, with it's hood open, up on a jack, with a tool anywhere near it, etc. and present it to the city and insist that they be charged as well. Even if a guy is washing or waxing his car, bike or RV, that is maintaining a vehicle and is illegal. A kid oiling his bicycle chain is, also, a heinous criminal and should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. If they're going to get chicken shit, play their game. Fill up their in-boxes with a steady stream of idiotic complaints and petty whining. Call them every day and ask how your cases are being handled. By all means, if you can afford it or find one who will work pro bono, get a lawyer, preferably, a sleazey one.

 

What's the difference between a lawyer and a sleazy lawyer??