coyotes in NOVA? (Arlington, Reston, Springfield: sale, apartment complex, HOA)

[Panks]

This is really a bummer because the coyotes have apparently migrated from the west coast to the east coast according to the articles I've read. They have no predators except the wolf and they're now in every state except Hawaii.

I live 10 minutes outside San Francisco and they're really a problem here. I hear them at night and its a really horrible sound. Its not just howling but yipping and screaming and the sound of twigs breaking. I assume thats when they are killing something I've never heard screams like that before.

I have to plan to be home at dusk every day to make sure my cats are locked in. Otherwise I have to lock them inside all day which means they are bouncing off the walls at night. I was really hoping to get a house on a little bit of land where I could let my cats out whenever they wanted.
Since coyotes can dig under fences and can jump 8 foot fences, only 10 foot fences work in keeping them out.

Are 10 foot fences allowed in the NoVa area?

[saganista]

On most Fairfax County properties, the general rule is no. Four feet in a front yard (which is everything with a streetfront), and seven feet in a side or back yard. Exceptions can be obtained, particularly for larger lots, but you'd need to get a proffer to get it done. Probably, 'I don't want my cats to be eaten by coyotes' is not going to be enough to get the job done. But if you had an attorney and a nice business plan for raising little tiny goats and sheep, well, you never know...

[Panks]

Originally Posted by saganista

, but you'd need to get a proffer to get it done. ...

whats a proffer?

Do they specify the type of fence ie: no chain link? I actually had a dream last night that I was putting down barbed wire to keep crocodiles from coming onto the shore..

In general is it very hard to get permits in VA to add sq feet onto a house? I'm asking in case the only thing I could afford is only 800 sq feet...I could buy it and add at a later date. Of course, thats assuming I'd actually GET a job first!

[waldo365]

I saw one on Vale Road in Oakton just two weeks ago. Absolutely no question that it was a coyote. My immediate neighbors in Oakton claim many sighting over the past few years.

[saganista]

Originally Posted by Panks

whats a proffer?

Basically, it's an owner-submitted proposal to establish conditions (sometimes offset by commitments) to resolve identified issues without resulting in a non-conforming zoning for a particular piece of property. Final proffers (as agreed to by all parties) become a part of the official zoning, thereby allowing all zoning to be substantially conforming to such higher level standards as the county's Comprehensive Plan and established zoning ordinances. Proffers are pretty common, and reasonable things typically do get done. But a simple 'I don't like the code and want to get around it' won't be seen as reasonable.

Originally Posted by Panks

Do they specify the type of fence ie: no chain link? I actually had a dream last night that I was putting down barbed wire to keep crocodiles from coming onto the shore..

In some cases, yes. Barbed-wire is out in many applications for instance. But I'm not familiar enough with all the details on that. There are a lot of details.

Originally Posted by Panks

In general is it very hard to get permits in VA to add sq feet onto a house? I'm asking in case the only thing I could afford is only 800 sq feet...I could buy it and add at a later date. Of course, thats assuming I'd actually GET a job first!

Yes, a job would be a good idea, but typically it's easy to get permits so long as the plans conform to set-backs, height, energy, and surface restrictions, and so forth. Contractors in the area know the codes and what will fly and what won't. You can often get the basic can-and-can't issues worked out during a free consult. There is just tons of such add-on and tear-down work going on all over, so an awful lot of stuff is getting through.

[Panks]

I just had a hellish weekend..all because of the ^#@^%&^ coyotes

I live in Sausalito which is about 10 minutes away from SF and my apartment is separated by a small road from an area they call the Marin headlands, which is basically the woods.When I rented this place it never even occured to me to ask if there were coyotes or mountain lions around here and of course the property manager didn’t say anything.

Sunday around 7 in the morning, I took my cats for a walk around the complex. It's weird, I know The walks started by accident, when I was trying to get them used to the area so they wouldn't get lost, and eventually it developed into regular walks where they mostly follow me around without a leash.

We’ were almost home when one of my cats rambled off on his own which is not unsual for him. I was going to go back to my place since I allow them to stay out during the day, but for the first time ever, I decided to walk down the road next to the headlands. I don't know why I did it, since I never, ever walk there (because I don't want my cats to follow me across the street or get used to the headlands).

I got to the road and right there was a COYOTE standing on the sidewalk I started yelling and running towards it but it didn’t run away. It stood there and watched me until I was about 20 feet away before it trotted off.
The scary part is that just as I was about 3 feet away from where the coyote had been standing, my cat jumped out of a bush. That’s what really freaked me out. I’m sure the coyote had been ready to attack my cat. My knees were so weak, I had to wait for a few minutes before I could walk home. A neighbor who had been standing on his balcony said there were 3 coyotes not just the one I had seen. I know they hunt in packs and they’re so smart it’s really frightening.

I’m mad because I’d read that they hunt from dusk to dawn so I’d felt safe letting them out in the morning. Apparently the coyotes and me aren’t reading the same websites.
I was so freaked out that I was speeding on my way home that afternoon (since I don’t believe the dawn-dusk window anymore), and a really bad-tempered cop pulled me over and gave me a ticket!

[happyhunter]

Coyotes are not native to VA. They began to appear in this area in the late fifties early sixties. If you don't believe me ask someone from VA fish and game. Not trying to be a wise a--, just stating a fact.

[akorosdc]

Holy c*** I had no idea there were coyotes here. I gave a tour in Fredericksburg to people from Los Angeles who asked about coyotes and we all laughed at them.

[quiet walker]

I saw one in Arlington (Ballston) trucking through my front yard a few nights ago. Big animal! Like a large dog. Not at all like the skinny little foxes one sees around here. I'm glad my kitty is an indoor cat

I bought a "new" used car, traded in my '97 on an '04 last week. Late that evening I was looking out the front door at my purchase, when this big critter came rapidly through the yard. It was kind of furtive and purposeful and quick, as if it was on a regular route. Stopped to raise a leg and pee on a tree and then was off into the darkness. I live near Lubber Run and there used to be a bit of a rat problem from there.

[ArizonaBear]

Originally Posted by ateo

I've been living in the D.C. area all my life and I've never even met someone who's seen a coyote.

Odds of seeing one are pretty awful.

Same here: I never even heard of coyotes there while growing up in the DC area (1957-78)