I can't park my car on my lawn?

[JulieH]

I totally agree with you, but why should the government spend money making this a law and enforcing it?

 

Good question! Well, I would ask, why should the government spend money on a lot of the ridiculous things they do??;)

[mchel210]

It has been against city laws here for years. You cant park in the grass in your front yard. You CAN park as long as you are washing your car and yes that is encouraged here.

 

The HOA has no Swale parking either. You can park in the street during the day but not overnight. It really isnt enforced...but code enforcement will enforce the yard parking. I looks bad when people park there all the time and rip up the lawns. I imagine if it is occasional it wouldnt matter.

 

They do allow you to park in the driveways. I have never heard of an hoa ruling out driveway parking. That sounds like the community needs to vote in a new board!! That is just absurd.

 

We can build a 3 car wide driveway with approval. That would fit 6 cars in our driveway and 2 in the garage.

 

BUT I park sideways all the time so the kids can play in the driveway!

[Jyniffrec]

Welcome to socialism. I remember when I was in school, reading all about how this kind of stuff (ridiculous restrictions on personal freedom) went on in other "bad" countries, but how America was free. Ha!

 

Yup!

 

Notice Father of Pearl said the city is "trying" to get him to enforce the law. Most of these kinds of laws are either non-existent or ignored in the south, although things are tighter in the historic district here.

 

We used to live above the Mason-Dixon line and this kind of stuff drove us nuts. When we would travel home we could tell we had crossed the M-D line back into the south when all of the signs were suddenly much taller.

 

We do have laws in our cities, but you can still have cows, sheep, horses, chickens, etc., in your yard, just no pigs. And you can have a trailer, it just has to be a double-wide. :D

Edited September 16, 2011 by Jyniffrec

[Murphy101]

Our city has always had an ordinance making it illegal to park on the lawn. I live in a University community and every front yard would become a parking lot without the ordinance. It has nothing to do with a HOA because very few neighborhoods have one. It applies to the entire city.

 

Again. Who cares. Why?

 

I'd rather my neighbors park in their grass than surround my house with the cars of visitors. I'd like for my company to be able to park around my home. And I would tell my company to park in my grass before I'd tell them to block the parking in front of the neighbors homes.

 

I just really could not care less about manicured lawns or what my neighbors do on their own property. The notion that others do care enough to go looking for violations boggles my mind. I sorta feel bad for their boring lives.

[Mrs Mungo]

Admittedly, I don't know much about HOAs, but a law preventing a person from parking THEIR car on THEIR lawn? Seems like a real departure from freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. So many silly laws to "help us", less and less freedom.

 

It is what happens when you have people with 5 or 10 abandoned cars leaking oil into the soil. It can and does impact other people through pollution, property values and pests (abandoned cars are often a haven for rodents).

 

Welcome to socialism. I remember when I was in school, reading all about how this kind of stuff (ridiculous restrictions on personal freedom) went on in other "bad" countries, but how America was free. Ha!

 

:confused: Really? I love how suddenly any and laws are socialism. Such wide misunderstanding of the term.

[pamela&claire]

We have six car driveway but we're not allowed to park more than two cars in the driveway because others might think it's an eye sore.

[Firefly]

Its times like these I am glad I live in the South, and in a Subdivision with no HOA! That really sucks, you should be able to park in your yard if you wish.

 

What does living in the South have to do with this issue? :confused:

[nowimscrappin]

Our HOA doesn't allow any commercial vehicle parking, no boats, trailers etc in driveways or on the streets.

 

They do have a "soft" restriction on the # of cars regularly parked in driveways in houses with garages. Most have a 2 car garage, so if they routinely park 2 cars in the driveway, they are going to get written up.

 

No parking on lawns here.

 

These restrictions are in place because people choose to live in a neighborhood where they like what it looks like - they don't want to see cars parked all over the laws, boats and trailers littering the streets, etc. WE sign a covenants documents when we move in and changes to the convenants are sent out every year after being voted on by our BoD - we elect our BoD

[annandatje]

Again. Who cares. Why?

 

I'd rather my neighbors park in their grass than surround my house with the cars of visitors. I'd like for my company to be able to park around my home. And I would tell my company to park in my grass before I'd tell them to block the parking in front of the neighbors homes.

 

I just really could not care less about manicured lawns or what my neighbors do on their own property. The notion that others do care enough to go looking for violations boggles my mind. I sorta feel bad for their boring lives.

 

Generally I share your attitude. However, the hard truth is that when it comes time to sell, the next door neighbor's eyesore does indeed deflate the value of your property since not everyone holds a live and let live attitude. We jokingly refer to our next door neighbor as WeedMan because of his perpetually overgrown lawn which the city occasionally calls him on. I plan to be here probably rest of my life, but I do hope that he sells before I do.

[catz]

It is what happens when you have people with 5 or 10 abandoned cars leaking oil into the soil. It can and does impact other people through pollution, property values and pests (abandoned cars are often a haven for rodents).

 

 

 

:confused: Really? I love how suddenly any and laws are socialism. Such wide misunderstanding of the term.

 

:iagree:

 

You can choose where you live. If you want to have 10 abandoned cars in your front yard, there are places that would be fine, like out in the country. Letting people park on their lawns would not at all work in our neighborhood when we have a house within 15 feet on both sides of us, and property values are very much tied in with neighboring properties.

Edited September 16, 2011 by kck

[TravelingChris]

We have always chosen not to live in HOA's because between my dh's woodworking hobby (which uses the garage and so we park on driveways) or my gardening hobby (which means I do like to have something other than a grass lawn solely inhabiting by front yard), we think we would be out of place. That said, I don't like cars on the front lawn. I just checked- here we are not allowed to leave inoperable vehicles on the lawn. My neighbors on my part of the street including us cannot drive or park on any lawns since we don't have any. (Well I do but it is first edged by a culvert, brick wall, trees, and ornamental plants:001_smile:) The rest of of all our driveways are forests and other non parking places.

[Murphy101]

We jokingly refer to our next door neighbor as WeedMan because of his perpetually overgrown lawn which the city occasionally calls him on. I plan to be here probably rest of my life, but I do hope that he sells before I do.

 

:

If you want to have 10 abandoned cars in your front yard, there are places that would be fine, like out in the country.

 

Wow. Who said anything about being okay with 10 abandoned cars and over grown lawns to the point the city has to mow it?!

 

And the implication they must be country hicks?!

 

Oh geez. There should be a common sense middle ground between total dereliction and govt mandates about private property lawns.

 

As long as their yard is mowed a few times a month and the car is rusting on blocks - I wouldn't care. As long as it's maintained and off my property - fine by me.

 

If we are going to presume the worst stereotypes -

Give me a nice neighbor inviting me for coffee on their garden sofa over a uppity yuppy griping about where I park my car on my property or the lack of edged grass anyway.

[mommaduck]

If we are going to presume the worst stereotypes -

Give me a nice neighbor inviting me for coffee on their garden sofa over a uppity yuppy griping about where I park my car on my property or the lack of edged grass anyway.

:iagree:

[TXMary2]

See, now I'm even more confused because I have never heard of anywhere where it is illegal to park on the street. For the record, I agree that you should be able to park where you want on your property, I have just never seen anyone park on their lawn, so I was surprised it was enough of an issue that someone chose to legislate it.

 

 

Maybe not "illegal" but in my neighborhood the HOA rule is NO parking on the street. Mainly to keep people from letting cars that don't run, just sit there. Also, no clotheslines. So, even if I was domesticated enough to want to hang laundry to dry, I wouldn't be allowed. There are some things I enjoy about my HOA, like the neighborhood usually looks nice, but there are plenty of things I don't enjoy, like getting fined $25 because my lawn is too tall.

[Friederike in Persia]

Here it's not so much cars and parking that get discussed, but how clean or not the other neighbours' cows are. I choose to stay out of those, having clean (ish) kids is enough for me!

[Mrs Mungo]

Wow. Who said anything about being okay with 10 abandoned cars and over grown lawns to the point the city has to mow it?!

 

And the implication they must be country hicks?!

 

Oh geez. There should be a common sense middle ground between total dereliction and govt mandates about private property lawns.

 

As long as their yard is mowed a few times a month and the car is rusting on blocks - I wouldn't care. As long as it's maintained and off my property - fine by me.

 

If we are going to presume the worst stereotypes -

Give me a nice neighbor inviting me for coffee on their garden sofa over a uppity yuppy griping about where I park my car on my property or the lack of edged grass anyway.

 

My problem is with calling it socialism when it is local democracy in action.

[Jyniffrec]

What does living in the South have to do with this issue? :confused:

 

Have a look at my previous post. The government doesn't reach into people's lives nearly as much in the south (at least in smaller towns). I never grew used to the invasiveness of government on peoples' private lives while living in the Philadelphia area. If you've never lived in one place and then in the other it might not be apparent, but it has definitely been true for us.

[celticmom]

This thread makes me very happy that we do not live in a neighborhood. Also our land is zoned general agriculture. We do not have a garage or a paved driveway. No one is bothered because our house and cars are not visible from the street; we left the front half of our lot wooded.

[4everHis]

Since people can choose whether or not to live in a community with an HOA, I wouldn't want them outlawed by any means. They work great for people who want those types of restrictions, but I certainly wouldn't want to live in one myself. My nephew lives in such a place, and he recently got a notice that says that he "needs a new roof" (not sure how the HOA determined this) and that he has ten days to get it, after which time he will be fined.

 

 

I totally agree. I wouldn't want to live in a town or city like Ria's.

 

Not always true, friends bought a house that's over a hundred years old, lived in it over a year and were informed it's part of a gated type community HOA. There was no paperwork in their closing that made this known but they are being told they have to abide by HOA rules.

[Jryanbass]

What does living in the South have to do with this issue? :confused:

 

 

Because its "usually" one of the LAST places to pass municiple ordinances like this. That's all. Some of the nicer neighborhoods have HOA's, but a city ordinance like that is pretty unheard of.

[Mrs Mungo]

Have a look at my previous post. The government doesn't reach into people's lives nearly as much in the south (at least in smaller towns). I never grew used to the invasiveness of government on peoples' private lives while living in the Philadelphia area. If you've never lived in one place and then in the other it might not be apparent, but it has definitely been true for us.

 

Ordinances like this have *much* more to do with population density than region. Big cities and suburbs in the south have the same type of ordinances.

[Jryanbass]

Have a look at my previous post. The government doesn't reach into people's lives nearly as much in the south (at least in smaller towns). I never grew used to the invasiveness of government on peoples' private lives while living in the Philadelphia area. If you've never lived in one place and then in the other it might not be apparent, but it has definitely been true for us.

 

Yep.

[elegantlion]

Dh and I used to look at new neighborhood open houses for fun, then we'd nitpick the HOA requirements just for fun. Many we saw had restrictions on even keeping the garage door open. Reminds of that episode of X-Files where Mulder and Scully play a couple moving to the burbs.

[LostSurprise]

Why not just drive it somewhere once a week?

 

Just around the block should be sufficient.

 

1. I tried to negotiate something like that. I offered to move the vehicle and bring in paperwork regarding its license, plates, and working order. They didn't believe me that I drove it.

 

2. I honestly don't have time for another weekly venture. I know I won't remember, especially driving a bus with no heat and a stick in Wisconsin winters.

 

3. This is all beside the point. I've actually read the ordinances. They don't say people need to move their vehicles every 10 days. They do say abandoned vehicles or those up on blocks need to be moved from driveways and streets within 10 days. They just chose to define our vehicle as such because I have a cranky, complaining neighbor and they'd rather listen to me than him. For goodness sake, the city engineer called another elderly neighbor and told her they would euthanize her cat if she didn't keep it inside. The poor lady was going door-to-door looking for it. She was terrorized. All because it escaped and defecated on this guy's lawn. Once. Seriously. :confused:

 

I could rant on. You don't really need an HOA. You just need an exuberant pencil-pusher and a pushy complainer.

 

 

Ordinances like this have *much* more to do with population density than region.

 

I'm not sure this is completely true. I live in a very rural area. Very blue collar. A lot of sport (camping, RV, fishing, hunting) and recreation.

 

I think this is more a state of mind that grew up with the explosion in the housing industry and the decrease in neighborhood relationships. We're 'looking out for our investment' more than we care about working with the neighborhood dynamic.

[4everHis]

1. I tried to negotiate something like that. I offered to move the vehicle and bring in paperwork regarding its license, plates, and working order. They didn't believe me that I drove it.

 

2. I honestly don't have time for another weekly venture. I know I won't remember, especially driving a bus with no heat and a stick in Wisconsin winters.

 

3. This is all beside the point. I've actually read the ordinances. They don't say people need to move their vehicles every 10 days. They do say abandoned vehicles or those up on blocks need to be moved from driveways and streets within 10 days. They just chose to define our vehicle as such because I have a cranky, complaining neighbor and they'd rather listen to me than him. For goodness sake, the city engineer called another elderly neighbor and told her they would euthanize her cat if she didn't keep it inside. The poor lady was going door-to-door looking for it. She was terrorized. All because it escaped and defecated on this guy's lawn. Once. Seriously. :confused:

 

I could rant on. You don't really need an HOA. You just need an exuberant pencil-pusher and a pushy complainer.

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure this is completely true. I live in a very rural area. Very blue collar. A lot of sport (camping, RV, fishing, hunting) and recreation.

 

I think this is more a state of mind that grew up with the explosion in the housing industry and the decrease in neighborhood relationships. We're 'looking out for our investment' more than we care about working with the neighborhood dynamic.

 

:iagree:

[Mrs Mungo]

I could rant on. You don't really need an HOA. You just need an exuberant pencil-pusher and a pushy complainer.

 

I'm not sure this is completely true. I live in a very rural area. Very blue collar. A lot of sport (camping, RV, fishing, hunting) and recreation.

 

I think this is more a state of mind that grew up with the explosion in the housing industry and the decrease in neighborhood relationships. We're 'looking out for our investment' more than we care about working with the neighborhood dynamic.

 

But, the problems you are describing have nothing to do with city ordinances or HOAs.

[Free]

ps. this is my 100th post. :)

Congrats on the 100th post :)

[beaners]

Good reason to be thankful for being neither middle class nor living in the burbs. :D

 

 

Mmhmm. We aren't in the suburbs, and the people with the nicest houses around here still park on the lawn occasionally. If houses that sell for more than $500,000 in an area where $50,000 a year is upper middle class can include a car on the lawn, I'm not worried about what my neighbors think. Actually, I really love all of my neighbors and I think I've seen cars on each and every lawn around here at some point. Most of them have much nicer houses than we do. All of them are solidly middle class, even if their parking doesn't meet standards in other regions.

[Hannah]

Here it's not so much cars and parking that get discussed, but how clean or not the other neighbours' cows are. I choose to stay out of those, having clean (ish) kids is enough for me!

 

 

:lol:

[Paisley Hedgehog]

nm

[Murphy101]

I'm one who gets seriously peeved about neighbors parking in their yards. And not only is it one vehicle, it's three or four. And not only is it three or four vehicles, it's the john boat you took to the lake this weekend. And it's not just the boat either, it's the 20ft trailer you use to pull the boat. Need I go on? :cursing:

 

I wish to G-- someone would enforce the codes around here. (and, yes, I'm in the South)

 

Is the yard mowed?

Are these vehicles rusting or staying up on blocks?

Are they revving engines all the time or drug trafficking or what?

 

I honestly don't understand why you care.

 

Why are you POd that they enjoy a big family or social life and having a boat for weekends on their property?

 

I don't get.

 

Are you jealous?

 

I would be! I'd be over there chatting it up. Yep. Being friends with a boat owner who likes being surrounded by lots of people could sure work in my favor! ;)

[shinyhappypeople]

I'm one who gets seriously peeved about neighbors parking in their yards. And not only is it one vehicle, it's three or four. And not only is it three or four vehicles, it's the john boat you took to the lake this weekend. And it's not just the boat either, it's the 20ft trailer you use to pull the boat. Need I go on? :cursing:

 

I wish to G-- someone would enforce the codes around here. (and, yes, I'm in the South)

 

I couldn't agree more. It's an eyesore.

 

Parking on the lawn briefly to wash your car or something like that doesn't bother me. But treating your yard as a parking lot... :tongue_smilie:

[shinyhappypeople]

Is the yard mowed?

Are these vehicles rusting or staying up on blocks?

Are they revving engines all the time or drug trafficking or what?

 

I honestly don't understand why you care.

 

Why are you POd that they enjoy a big family or social life and having a boat for weekends on their property?

 

I don't get.

 

Are you jealous?

 

I would be! I'd be over there chatting it up. Yep. Being friends with a boat owner who likes being surrounded by lots of people could sure work in my favor! ;)

 

I'm one of the lawn-parking-haters. I'm not jealous, it's an eyesore.

I don't want to feel like I live next door to a used car lot.

 

And no, my offending neighbors don't take great care of their yard. They don't need to mow it because it rarely gets watered and what grass is left is matted down by the near-constant lawn parking.

 

Neighbors also had a boat that they parked on the street for weeks at a time (took up a LOT of room). We called the city and had them cited. Buh-bye boat on our street (SHP cheerfully waves as boat is moved to a proper storage facility).

[Murphy101]

Well the street isn't intended for storage, so I can see getting annoyed at a boat being left in the road all winter or whatever.

 

But the same cars visiting in the yard are going to be parked in the street? Are you honestly complaining about them having company that doesn't drive nice enough vehicles to suit you? Would you rather all their family and friends line the street with their cars? (that would annoy me far more) Or are you actually suggesting they should limit their visitors to suit you? (I can't imagine having that kind of nerve!)

 

And I didn't ask if they were great about their grass. Mine is mostly dirt because of the high volume of feet and bikes on it. But it is not overgrown and posing a vermin or fire danger. If my neighbors want to waste money on sod and mulch - then I don't care. But all I see is how many books I can buy for the cost of just their mulch! lol

[Murphy101]

I'll be honest and say I wish several people in my neighborhood would park in their grass.

 

I have a 12 passenger van and driving between their trucks or backing out when they are parked across from my driveway can sometimes be nerve wrecking.

[Brilliant]

I'm one of the lawn-parking-haters. I'm not jealous, it's an eyesore.

I don't want to feel like I live next door to a used car lot.

 

I agree.

 

I personally hate our HOA but at the moment am feeling grateful for it. I had no idea so many people were so passionate about their right to park on their lawn.

[smillard00]

What does living in the South have to do with this issue? :confused:

 

Exactly! I live in the South and we have that city law down here--for exactly the reasons a previous poster stated. An occasional car parked temporarily in the grass would be one thing, but people have multiple cars parked in their yards in various states of disrepair leaking all sorts of oils and things into the soil, creating a haven for nasty critters, and severely affecting the property values of those who live around them. Courtesy would dictate that someone wouldn't do such a thing, but now that courtesy isn't a motivator for people, cities have moved to legislating courtesy and safety.

 

One may think that what they do on their own property is their own business, but when their actions begin affecting my ability to use and/or sell my property...

[Liza Lee]

My dad parks his boat (cat) on the lawn. Nowhere else to put it.

 

 

 

In my old suburb, we got a warning for having our boat parked in our driveway.

[JudyJudyJudy]

Not always true, friends bought a house that's over a hundred years old, lived in it over a year and were informed it's part of a gated type community HOA. There was no paperwork in their closing that made this known but they are being told they have to abide by HOA rules.

Strange. Who is now telling them this? Do they pay HOA dues?

[JudyJudyJudy]

And I didn't ask if they were great about their grass. Mine is mostly dirt because of the high volume of feet and bikes on it. But it is not overgrown and posing a vermin or fire danger. If my neighbors want to waste money on sod and mulch - then I don't care. But all I see is how many books I can buy for the cost of just their mulch! lol

Actually, I'm much more concerned about all the fertilizers and pesticides that are damaging the environment and the wasted water that my neighbors use on their lawns to make them look good than I am about their parking on their lawns. Their parking vehicles on their lawns doesn't affect me (all of my closest neighbors have at least three vehicles per family, and one has five since there are teenagers in the family), but the pesticides and fertilizers affect my health.

[VaKim]

I agree.

 

I had no idea so many people were so passionate about their right to park on their lawn.

 

This is almost funny.

[Matryoshka]

Ordinances like this have *much* more to do with population density than region. Big cities and suburbs in the south have the same type of ordinances.

 

Hm. I live in one of the most densely populated areas of the country, in an upscale suburb (lots of million dollar homes - though, yeah, mine isn't one of them), in the northeast. None of those ordinances here. I can even *gasp* hang my wash out to dry if I want to! And plant a garden in sight of the street. And have clover and dandelions and violets and crocuses in my lawn (which does get mowed regularly, but not to look like a putting green). :)

 

But I don't live in a subdivision.

 

And I don't lie in the "Live Free or Die" state, but I can almost see it from here. ;)

 

ETA: I totally get not wanting derelict cars rusting and leaking oil anywhere (not just on the lawn), or other things that affect the health of the groundwater (we have a well!). But in that I'd include Chem-lawn treatments that are practically required by HOAs. It's all about appearance, not health, with them.

Edited September 16, 2011 by matroyshka

[JudyJudyJudy]

Hm. I live in one of the most densely populated areas of the country, in an upscale suburb (lots of million dollar homes - though, yeah, mine isn't one of them), in the northeast. None of those ordinances here. I can even *gasp* hang my wash out to dry if I want to! And plant a garden in sight of the street. And have clover and dandelions and violets and crocuses in my lawn (which does get mowed regularly, but not to look like a putting green). :)

 

But I don't live in a subdivision.

 

And I don't lie in the "Live Free or Die" state, but I can almost see it from here. ;)

 

ETA: I totally get not wanting derelict cars rusting and leaking oil anywhere (not just on the lawn), or other things that affect the health of the groundwater (we have a well!). But in that I'd include Chem-lawn treatments that are practically required by HOAs. It's all about appearance, not health, with them.

Absolutely.

[Firefly]

Have a look at my previous post. The government doesn't reach into people's lives nearly as much in the south (at least in smaller towns). I never grew used to the invasiveness of government on peoples' private lives while living in the Philadelphia area. If you've never lived in one place and then in the other it might not be apparent, but it has definitely been true for us.

 

Because its "usually" one of the LAST places to pass municiple ordinances like this. That's all. Some of the nicer neighborhoods have HOA's, but a city ordinance like that is pretty unheard of.

 

 

Ah, I see what you are saying. I've lived all over the world but admittedly never in the SE US. However, I will say that where I am the kind of restrictive ordinances being discussed in this thread are limited to developments with HOAs (which is why I'd never live in one). There have never been restrictive ordinances w/any of the properties I've lived in. I'm inclined to agree with Mrs. Mungo.

[Jryanbass]

Exactly! I live in the South and we have that city law down here--for exactly the reasons a previous poster stated. An occasional car parked temporarily in the grass would be one thing, but people have multiple cars parked in their yards in various states of disrepair leaking all sorts of oils and things into the soil, creating a haven for nasty critters, and severely affecting the property values of those who live around them. Courtesy would dictate that someone wouldn't do such a thing, but now that courtesy isn't a motivator for people, cities have moved to legislating courtesy and safety.

 

One may think that what they do on their own property is their own business, but when their actions begin affecting my ability to use and/or sell my property...

 

But, for the sake of this thread, MOST people are talking about running, actively used cars, or A boat. There are ordinances against cars on blocks, even here. but I do not see a problem with someone parking their boat, or their extra car on their own lawn. I see no problem with parking on the lawn as long as its maintained and the cars/boats aren't in disrepair.

[shinyhappypeople]

Well the street isn't intended for storage, so I can see getting annoyed at a boat being left in the road all winter or whatever.

 

But the same cars visiting in the yard are going to be parked in the street? Are you honestly complaining about them having company that doesn't drive nice enough vehicles to suit you? Would you rather all their family and friends line the street with their cars? (that would annoy me far more) Or are you actually suggesting they should limit their visitors to suit you? (I can't imagine having that kind of nerve!)

 

I'm not sure if this is directed at me or not. Just in case it was: I never complained about street parking. That's where guests' cars belong - at the curb, not on the yard.

[smillard00]

But, for the sake of this thread, MOST people are talking about running, actively used cars, or A boat. There are ordinances against cars on blocks, even here. but I do not see a problem with someone parking their boat, or their extra car on their own lawn. I see no problem with parking on the lawn as long as its maintained and the cars/boats aren't in disrepair.

 

But how do you work such shades of difference into a city ordinance that is enforceable? You can't say that the only dangerous situations are caused by cars on blocks. There are plenty of nasty, leaking, vermin infested, fire hazard cars that are not on blocks. So stipulating on blocks wouldn't work. So then what do you do? Make it illegal to park cars leaking oil on lawns? How is that judged and enforced? How much oil? For how long? What kind of testing has to be done to be sure it is oil and not some other non-illegal substance? Or you can park a car on a lawn as long as there is no rust? How many cars have absolutely no rust? And what about the areas where this is a fire hazard? Any car left on a lawn long enough to heat up is a hazard. It could be a brand new Mercedes. How long does a car have to be stationary to begin harboring rats and other vermin? Calculate that and write that into the ordinance?

 

Yes, this is one of those situations where the abuse by some brings on a law that affects all. I would much rather see a city ordinance that prohibits parking cars on the lawn period than some subjective nightmare that is difficult and expensive to enforce. It's simple--no cars on the lawn.

[Barb_]

But what about shopping carts and shoes? I think a shopping cart on my neighbor's lawn would offend me, but I have 3-4 pairs of shoes on my lawn right now. :leaving: I'd better keep an eye out for the HOA.

[melmichigan]

I'm not sure if this is directed at me or not. Just in case it was: I never complained about street parking. That's where guests' cars belong - at the curb, not on the yard.

 

But see, I'm not allowed to park on the street, it's two lanes without any wiggle room. If I lived on a side street then I could park on the street, but not here. So if I want company they'll have to carpool.

[Brilliant]

This is almost funny.

 

I wasn't trying to be funny. :confused: I don't see anything inconsistent in my statement. I don't have the right to be naked on my lawn. I don't have the right to poop on my lawn. I don't have the right to spread Dursban on my lawn. I don't have the right to operate a business on my lawn. If you just consider rights enshrined in our Bill of Rights - I don't even have the right to discharge a weapon or hold a regular worship service on my lawn.

 

There are plenty of "rights" we give up when we live in a society. Apparently in many communities, the right to park your car on your lawn is one of them. I am OK with that.