Residential Parking Blocking Access to House (new house, neighborhood, buying)

[Mnunit]

We just bought a house in Silver lake. Our neighborhood does not have any sidewalks and our house is up a hill and is accessed by a set of narrow stairs (~3 ft) with hand railings on either side going up from the street. There is a 3 inch curb and the street.

We haven't moved in yet but now that we have been going to our new house more frequently we keep finding cars parked right up against the curb in front of the stairs to the house. Most recently we were having a washing machine delivered and a car was parked centered on our stairs and a few inches away from the curb. There are thick bushes and a tall wall on either side of the stairs. With the car there there was no way to get a washing machine into our house and barely anyway to get a person either, although slim nimble person could fit (but not my grandparents or anyone overweight, carrying a baby, some large dogs, laden with groceries or a bike). The resulting passage was just the width of the curb (3-4 inches) + the distance between the car and the curb (3-5 inches) = 6-9 inches

I know there are laws about parking in front of a dropped curb or driveway, but what about a tight entryway/stairs/gate?

[seain dublin]

You never noticed this when you looked at the house? Surely you went to the house more than once before buying?

IDK about any laws regarding stairs, the thing is when you buy in a congested area like Silverlake, these are issues you have to take into consideration.

If it's a neighbor's cars or their guest's cars, you could politely have a chat with them about the situation.

[Mr_Geek]

I'm going to need a picture or diagram here.

[Hiapo]

I would think that would be a hazard, what if there is a fire and there is a car blocking your way out? I would talk to the city and see if they can block that part of the curb from being parked against. Seems pretty dangerous to me.

[Mnunit]

Thanks for the replies! Here is a picture of the street.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hhidskxfxc...20AM.jpeg?dl=0

On the right is our garage (which we park in), moving left is a small curb area, the stairs in question and then a place where we are perfectly happy for people to park. Two cars fit nicely, but if a third is added it blocks the stairs. (Side note: three cars would fit but the neighbors keep their trashcans on the street which occupy about 1 space).

We did visit the house at least 15-20 times before buying and usually no one was parked there, a few times a workman working at the house parked overlapping the stairs but we figured that was ok since they were loading or unloading things into their own pickup truck to the house.

It isn’t a problem...until it is. When someone parks really close (I am sure they are trying to stay out of the street) or you have to carry anything into the house.

[CaliRestoration]

You can petition the city to mark the curb red for a few feet on either side of the stairs if it's a "emergency safety hazard" which you could easily argue with the city. That's the route I'd take.

Visit the LA DOT office (I have a home in OC so it might be different for LA County).

[Mr_Geek]

Thanks for the pic. A picture is worth a thousand words. Definitely understand your frustration now. I'd also go to the city. As a temporary solution, can you leave your garbage can in front of your stairs to prevent people from parking (like how your neighbor does)?

[Ruth4Truth]

You might also be able to have the seller's agent contact the now-departed sellers, to ask how they dealt with the situation.

[SUPbud]

cute little place!
I would definitely paint the curb red in front of the staircase, but let a fiat/smartcar/motorcycle park in front of the mailbox.

[seain dublin]

Originally Posted by Mnunit

Thanks for the replies! Here is a picture of the street.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hhidskxfxc...20AM.jpeg?dl=0

On the right is our garage (which we park in), moving left is a small curb area, the stairs in question and then a place where we are perfectly happy for people to park. Two cars fit nicely, but if a third is added it blocks the stairs. (Side note: three cars would fit but the neighbors keep their trashcans on the street which occupy about 1 space).

We did visit the house at least 15-20 times before buying and usually no one was parked there, a few times a workman working at the house parked overlapping the stairs but we figured that was ok since they were loading or unloading things into their own pickup truck to the house.

It isn’t a problem...until it is. When someone parks really close (I am sure they are trying to stay out of the street) or you have to carry anything into the house.

Well if the bolded part is true than it sounds like neighbors or their visitors are doing this. Go over and introduce yourself and explain the issue and see what happens.

That's better than calling the city on them. If they're not responsive than you call the city.

And FYI, you're supposed to bring your neighbors are supposed to bring their trash cans in after trash pickup, not leave them on the street. That I know can be addressed by the city.

Sorry, I find it odd you did all these visits and never observed any of this. That now all of a sudden cars are an issue in a highly populated area like Silverlake where parking has always been tight.