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I didn't read thru all the replies, but it seems like the issue is that the car is inoperable. So, if you register the car and get license plates and have insurance won't that make the car "operable"? It can be driven on the street legally then.
In my home state CT you can register any car without inspection, you just need the title, insurance, and money for plates. HOA's are not popular in CT, but most towns have rules against storing junk or inoperable cars on your property. Generally, you can store one unregistered car, but if you have more than one you will need to register them to avoid them being tagged as "junk"
$100 in registration fees would be worth it if it solved this headache. You can also get cheap liability insurance for an old car.
I would be willing to bet there's rules in the bylaws governing parking permits. Fact is he is using his garage for storage, against the bylaws, and has a gigantic eyesore taking up public parking. A suburban will fit into a garage with about a foot to spare so they are within their rights to get it off the shared space and into the garage where it belongs. And they didn't have to change any rules to do it, prove the vehicle isn't being stored or get rid of it simple as that.
don't be obtuse, all garages are not the same size. My pick up is shorter than a suburban and it hasn't fit in the garage of 3 different houses. In the garage I have now the door would rest on top of my rear bumper.
They made you? Seriously, did they hold a gun to your head?
Exactly. If the HOA board is out of control, the homeowners can change things. My husband and I did this very thing. It took some effort to get the word out, educate the other homeowners (who didn't bother to read the by-laws and therefore didn't know that the board couldn't invent new restrictions without our votes), get them on board, and take action. Too many people would rather just whine and complain.
I am aware of several associations that lost in court when judges determined the governing docs did not give the association the authority to ban whatever it was, they banned.
The governing docs either do or do not authorize a board to make rules.
As a former long time board member I am acutely aware that most board members do not read or understand their own governing documents, no different than anyone else who agreed to comply when the purchased.
Im pretty sure this bylaw, if researched and fought, would be considered an overstretch of authority. Its beyond unconscionable to tell you what you can store in your own garage. This wouldnt fly in Florida with our HOA. Specifically in Florida we cannot inspect anything that is out of sight. If someone is storing a "yard car" in their backyard we cant send a letter about it because observation of said activity would have to be done by criminal trespass. Its the same with eye sore cars in the driveway, if the car is parked front end towards the street we are not allowed to inspect the license plate to see if the registration is updated because that would be trespass.
This issue is most likely inadequate common parking space. Unless the owners want to pony up for creating incremental parking space, assuming adequate land exists to do so, the association needs to do something to reduce demand for outside space.
Some associations charge a fee for use of outdoor common space to encourage owners to use their own garages for parking instead of storing stuff.
When a HOA in Livermore, CA told us we could not fly an American flag outside our townhouse except on the 4th of July, I told their property manager that they could either allow two combat vets to fly the American flag whenever they liked or read about it in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Six weeks later, it was on the front page of the Chron and the topic of local talk radio for days. HOAs all over the Bay area began re-writing their covenants to allow the flag to fly.
Sometimes public embarrassment is the only way to curb local dictators.
Many states have enacted laws that trump HOA rules regarding the U.S. flag.
Why am I suspicious that there's more to this story. I can't help but wonder if the OP is a tenant and not the owner of the property. Or if they are noisy, diffucult neighbors. Or have more kids/pets than other town homes in the neighborhood. Or if they haven't been paying their HOA dues. . .
in any case, if your interactions with the HOA board has been tainted by the hostile communication style you've exhibited here, don't expect a lot of sympathy or cooperation from them. Calling somebody a "nazi" is pretty ugly.
Amazingly odd negative assumptions, and from one of the "$500 winners," too.
You have a 2 car garage on your non-hoa house on a public street.
You chose to fill that garage with anything other than your 2 working cars and only have enough driveway space to park 1 car at night.
As a result you have no other place to park your second car except on the street. However, your town doesn't allow overnight parking on the street.
If you were to go to your town and explain the problem and ask for a special permit to park a car on the street every night (I doubt this is even possible), I'd imagine you'd get a similar response as how the HOA feels. Your property has enough space to accommodate both of your vehicles but you're choosing to use that space for other purposes. Why should you get a permit to park on the street at night.
My town does not allow overnight municipal street parking, unless it's temporary and arranged in advance for a specific reason like resealing the asphalt or replacing concrete. The OP would not get a 20 year variance so he could continue to store stuff in his garage.
The idea that an HOA or any homeowner anywhere in the United States of America would think it was OK to have a by law that states an American flag is an eye sore is absurd! Unfriggin believeable!! really?
Actually, some who oppose flags do so out of respect for the federal Flag Code.
Not all flags are the U.S. Flag. Some are offended by state. sport or cutesy seasonal flags.
It was probably simpler to ban all flags than to pick and choose which flag or inappropriate display of the U.S. flag. Then there are instances of ISIS flags.
wow those assaholic hoa. Instances like this is why I refuse to ever live in a neighborhood run by one. I would just tell them no and dare them to try to mess with your PRIVATE garage on your PRIVATE property. Who's ever heard of needing a parking permit to park in one's own garage?.....
OP needs a permit to park one of his cars on common grounds because he uses one garage to store stuff.
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