Evidently I have a neighbor who called the city on me for doing just exactly that. No neighborhood ***ociation around here, so thats a good thing. Anyhow, I explained to the inspector on the phone that I was in fact in the business of fixing/owning old cars (as a hobby), and that I did from time to time work on them in my driveway. Invited him over to have a look see for himself. I guess I was kinda pissed off and humored by the whole thing all at the same thing. All of my vehicles are parked legaly, and are not up on blocks, so I'm not sure what "said neighbor" has ******* in a wad about. Just needed to vent.
do you know who it was? if so i recommend some good old fashioned street medicine, not now but in due time. crushed up spark plugs and gl*** do not get along together.
is there some problem with running a repair shop out of your house? I've been doing it for years...and the tax guys (fed and state) know about it and don't seem to mind taking my $$$$ The neighbors don't mind either, as I help them out and one neighbor runs an electric business out of his house. I guess it all depends what neighborhood you live in
I have a shop at my house. My neighbors have all been pretty good. I usually end up helping them out with their cars from time to time. I just try not to make too much noise before 9 and after 7...Hope it works out for you. EVILT
hey kinda sounds like my place only thing is I dont work on anything for anybody else and am damn slow on my own ****==told the dude that my wife musta turned me in=no haha there asked him if I needed a license for the tapper too=no reply anyway it's all legal behind a big fenced area and obvious is currently non opped in plain view==just never can tell who your friends in the hood are Ken
Well deserved as that kind of thing is **** to deal with. My first guess is to look around and see if there are any houses for sale in the neighborhood, Why? Because I had a real estate agent complain once about my cars when I lived in Tucson. He thought it might detract from his potential sale & had called the police on me.Never had the balls to face me about it. Cop asked if I could take the two cars in the driveway (it was a long driveway that you could park four cars in a row in) and get them into my backyard behind the fence - I did, end of story. Gary 4t950 Chevy Guy
here in california (at least southern) your area has to be "zoned" for it (res AND comm) and then you need a biz license. the second part is easy but around here it's not even close to being zoned for it and the neighbors WILL call no doubt. you can get a mobile license and try your luck, but i got popped for my own nicely covered cars just sitting in my driveway.
I guess having property where you can keep livestock (like we do) means anything goes.....my old cars don't seem to be as offensive as my wife's horses
man ive been told i was a chop shop cars come and leave looking toddaly different so cops came and checked all the vins around here and serial # on motors real good guys, just doing ther job never came back! but it was a h***el o well all part of the deal with this addiction!
Had a neighbor complain that I was running a business in a residential neighborhood a while back. Inspector came, saw I had plates on the car, saw no sign of a business, thats the last I heard of it. So now sometimes I load up my truck for a show at 10:00 PM just to be a ****, it doesn't make enough noise to violate any ordinances, but I'm sure they know I'm doing it. Good fences and vacant land make good neighbors -
My neighbors don't like my chickens. But I think they are funny to watch. Only have about 16 and never leave the property. I tell them thats chicken ****! They say were just neighbors. I was talkin about yer shoes!!...........OLDBEET
Well, I run a business out of my house. I have a sign in the yard and everything. It's the only place on the whole street that is zoned for business. Shortly after I moved here and opened my shop, I had two guys in suits show up. They were real *****s and started telling me I had to close my shop instantly because I was trying to run a business in a residential location. I politely told them I was in a business zoning. They put up an arguement and I made them call the zoning board. The look on their faces was priceless when they found out I was right. About two weeks later I got a visit from OHSA. The guy walked into my shop with a clip board and started writing stuff down. I ask him who he was and what he thought he was doing. He informed me he was an OHSA inspector and was doing an inspection. Another *****. I informed him I was a sole propiertor and had no employees, and he had no controle over me or my opperation and he needed to leave. He told me I was incorrect and he could shut me down if he wanted to. His only problem was he was talking to the wrong guy, I used to be the head of a union shop safety committee. I requested his supperviser's phone #, whom I called and read the riot act to. I told the supperviser I wanted nothing less then a formal appoligy from his pee on ***** before he left my property and never came back. I got both. I did have to endure the fire inspection a few weeks later, but that really wasn't a big deal. I do a lot of work for the people around me and haven't had any trouble since right after I opened. I think the first two *****s happened to be driving by and thought they could show someone how important they were. Guess they found out... Gene
Zoning laws are different but in our area if your working on any car you don't own they will consider it a business. Lot depends on neighbers, if they get complaints they have to act. Last time a code officer came to my place I was working on my own 64 El Camino, he asked to see the registration and left. Heard later the same neighbor complained and was told they can't do a thing about someone working on their own car. That ended that, fortunately. Guess you have to get your customers to sign it over to you for you to work on it.....Good Luck.
I think some of you guys are mis understanding. I am not in fact running my own business. But one of my neighbors thinks that I am. I am actually a realtor. I have to pedle houses to support my rusty car habit.
This is a sticky situation for sure. Not sure if this totally applies to your situation, but something to keep in mind. In my grand scheme I had always planned on putting an addition on my garage so even the APPEARANCE of running a home business was something I wanted to TOTALLY avoid. Working on neighbors cars was something I refused to do AT MY HOUSE - one neighbor sees you working on another neighbor's car and gets pissed because -of whatever. Nope too risky for me to give them any negative ammunition that I feared may later hurt my chances for my future plans. When neighbors asked if I'd work on their cars (and it was simple stuff that I'd do for free) I would always tell them I would only work on them in THEIR driveway and I'd explain my reasons. They all seemed to understand. Even STILL I'd get an occ***ional complaint that I was running a business (like you I wasn't). There's not alot you can do UNLESS you can figure out who is bustin' your balls. I once tricked a neighbor into admitting that they were calling the city on me - guilty consciences are often easy targets for the truth to leak out. Anyways - I told them straight up what a ***** I could be if THAT was what they wanted. Being nice is always the FIRST option, but sometimes you gotta pull the stops out and show them what a kingsized *** you can be. All in all - I really do feel that being nice is the way to go - but with people commonly being jealous , nosey , bitter old farts - sometimes stooping (somewhat) to their level is the only way.
Huh. Never had anyone think I was running a business. Maybe my mechanical skills are so lousy there's no way anyone would pay for my services!! Tucker
Speaking from my own perspective as a former rural dweller recently relocated to a small city I can attest to how carried away zoning ordinances can get. I think they **** here. No zoning can be chaos; zoning laws can be too restrictive. Its really a way for the powerless to feel empowered and make rules for everybody else. I cannot get over the fact that these people on the board are the little guys that make decisions for folks who really are taking investment risk. There are two that I know of on our local zoning board that really could use a Corvette!
Well jeez, if you would just get those ****py looking cars out of the driveway and street... Your house looks like a used car lot. I figured there would be at least one uptight person in that neighborhood. Hell, I am surprised there aren't more. Move into the ghetto with me and it won't matter!
Many cities and towns have non-running car ordinances. Usually you can't have more than 1 per lot, theoretically, to prevent house lots from being turned into junk yards. Some prevent you from having any or having any in sight from all sides of your property. Some places have VOC laws. Some places have public nusiance laws, preventing you from having parts, cars on blocks, etc. in your yard. As for running a business... You aren't running a business so they can't say you are. Ok, they can SAY you are, but you can prove you aren't. If you really want to make sure you are on the up-and-up, just go down to the town/city hall and ask if someone can point you to the ordinances pertaining to fixing your own cars on your own property. Just make sure to tell them your name is John Smith and you live at your an address down the street with the same zoning as where you live.
T-Town-Track-T, Did you ever get any further on your engine and ******? Any pics of it's progress? Shoot me some pics if you have any, please. coupe1942@sbcglobal.net I just got the rear fenders, light bar, splash apron off my tudor today. Working outside too, so I hope the neighbors don't get pissed at me doing that. Everyone so far has stopped by to chat and admire the ol' girl though. No one seems ticked that I am working on it in my driveway or even changing it from stock to a cruiser. Of course, I haven't drug out my sandblaster, compressor, air hammer, welder and so forth, yet. I lived in home that was covered by a homeowner's ***ociation. Want to find the word "***holes" just look in the dictionary. It defines "***holes" as homeowner's ***ociation leaders. I have just gotten the A when I lived there. I was never so glad to sell off a home though, as they were as snoopy and Nazi-like as people can get. Only 32 homes in the development. Most neighbors were really nice, but it only takes two or three on the ***ociation board to give you grief. It took me the better part of a year to get a fence in on my property. I no longer waited for the HOA to approve it and just had it put in. About two months later the head Nazi tried to tell me it had not been approved and he may have to get the board to have me remove it. I directed him off of my property with my one finger salute as my guide for him. He never came back and never gave me more grief, but I was indeed glad to be moving from there. I never plan on purchasing another home if it has anything to do with an HOA or developer that has any input on changes or such. Huey
Nothing againist you being a realtor - take a look around and look for neighborhood properties for sale, I could be wrong but - if you have not had complaints in the past until now it figures it was not one of your neighbors........ Gary 4T950 Chevy Guy
If you're working on old cars in the driveway, I'd be surprised if someone *didn't* rat you out. Most people think someone with a lot of old cars is gonna bring down their property value, so I can understand why they'd call the city. That said, you covered your *** and aren't in violation of anything, so **** 'em if they can't take a joke. If there's something I could do to make things a little less of an 'eyesore' to the neighbors, I'd do it. Gotta live there, after all, and it sounds like you're making nice with the complainer. Good move.
I live in the country miles from the nearest town and have had the same address all my life. My closest neighbor is 2 miles away. I have been told by the county that I wasn't zoned to work on cars. I have had problems getting insurance on my shop, etc. Face it the haves make a sport out of raining **** on the have nots.
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