Written Up By City Of Phoenix - Inoperable/Unlicensed Van Parked In The Driveway (Mesa: new house, neighborhood)

[Ponderosa]

Originally Posted by SloCoChef

Thanks everyone for your bits of advice and wisdom! I too felt I should hand write a letter - or type and sign a letter - maybe somehow include a picture of my house... As tomorrow is the weekend I can do a spray of weed/grass killer -- Do you nice folks actually buy that expensive spray stuff and do the area behind your fence in the alley? I have access to three alleys actually from my yard - that would be a small fortune... I do have a week wacker - but honestly have never set foot in the alley to take a look back there. I only go to one of them to dispose of household/kitchen trash in those big bins... To get an extension cord long enough to reach all those areas - well I don't think they make one that long - so I'd have to see if I could borrow someone's gas powered wacker.... Whole thing seems stupid...& I've never before seen anyone grooming their alleyways since I moved in. Maybe I'll just do my own yard - there's a couple of weeds in the rocks - and some grass that needs killing - just typical stuff - nothing overgrown etc... Just feels creepy - but I'll try to just 'forgetta 'bout it' as you say after the letter/photo sending

They start cracking down on the alleys this time of year because of fire hazard concerns. On the weed killer, the expensive and good stuff is called Roundup. You can buy generic brand at WalMart for a fraction of the cost. Works just as well. Compare the percents of glyphosate on the various containers to be sure you are getting the same thing.

[ReadyFreddy]

Originally Posted by LBTRS

For future protection, in case you are ever sited again and then can't say this is your second violation, I would write a letter and send a picture of the front of your house with your actual vehicle and tell them you don't own a van and that you recently moved in. Keep a copy and get delivery confirmation.

I would not just forget about it as it could come to haunt you later on.

I don't think he/she was cited. I think the first step is they send a letter, then come look, then send another letter. If the situation isn't fixed in the set amount of time they give, only then would they possibly cite someone. So ignoring the letter should have no repurcussions. If it's an actual citation, there should be explicit instructions on how to deal with it.

Since they said they're coming to inspect, I would ask them to come to your door so they can show you exactly which parts of which alley you should spray, and how often/how tall the weeds can get before you need to do it again. Odds are they'll say your alleys are fine and don't worry about it.

[Steve Pickering]

The question is ... "Did you have an unlicensed van parked at your home?" If not forget it. If so license it or remove it. Problem solved.

[khuntrevor]

generally, there is a compliance officer assigned to your area. I find the City pretty easy to deal with. They don't want to go to court, it's not a money maker like traffic enforcement. Email, the person, who signed it. I'll bet you will get a reasonable response.

[jimj]

Originally Posted by Ponderosa

They start cracking down on the alleys this time of year because of fire hazard concerns. On the weed killer, the expensive and good stuff is called Roundup. You can buy generic brand at WalMart for a fraction of the cost. Works just as well. Compare the percents of glyphosate on the various containers to be sure you are getting the same thing.

Roundup is good in places where you want other things to keep growing and want a short term solution. For our sidewall that runs down a street I use ground clear which lasts pretty close to a year and kills everything. It's all rock and since I don't want anything there it works well.

[TiredOfyycCold]

Originally Posted by jimj

Roundup is good in places where you want other things to keep growing and want a short term solution. For our sidewall that runs down a street I use ground clear which lasts pretty close to a year and kills everything. It's all rock and since I don't want anything there it works well.

Hey Jimj.... is ground clear a brand name? Sounds like something I need for my small stone patio which always has bermuda grass growing through the cracks. Where would I find this product?

[ReadyFreddy]

Amazon.com: Ortho 0430210 Ground Clear Complete Vegetation Killer Concentrate - Quart: Patio, Lawn & Garden

It's the product name. I've seen it all over... Home Depot, Costco, etc.

[TiredOfyycCold]

Originally Posted by ReadyFreddy

Amazon.com: Ortho 0430210 Ground Clear Complete Vegetation Killer Concentrate - Quart: Patio, Lawn & Garden

It's the product name. I've seen it all over... Home Depot, Costco, etc.

Thanks ReadyFreddy... I'll be buying some when I come down in June! Look out errant Bermuda grass

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by TiredOfyycCold

Hey Jimj.... is ground clear a brand name? Sounds like something I need for my small stone patio which always has bermuda grass growing through the cracks. Where would I find this product?

Ortho ground clear and roundup have the same active ingredient, glyphosate. Google it, then order the generic version (ranger) for much less dough. If you want same-day results, mix in a few ounces of Scythe... On a hot day the weeds will get brown & droopy in a couple hours.

[pandaundercover]

Whether it was an error or not, IF they do scope your property, they WILL cite you up for whatever citation they have in their books. We were called on by the neighbors, supposedly, about a dead pigeon in our backyard that we were unaware of, as a result, the city scoped over our fence to check it out, and cited us for not only the dead pigeon, but bags of dead weeds we had there for barely a week waiting to have their hauled away, and weeds we recently had growing and had no time to get rid of (or money). So, there, what was suppose to be one citation, turned into 3. Even the city would come comply with us and we ended up going to court and paying a $130 fine. So, my advice is, even if they end up noticing there's no van and they leave you alone, in the case that they actually decide to look over your fences and stuff, I'd clean your yard up as much as you can to avoid drama anyway.