Woman with brick lawn faces thousands in fines....not by the HOA! (real estate, city hall)

[bentlebee]

Woman with brick lawn faces thousands in fines - Bay News 9 (http://www.baynews9.com/content/36/2009/9/7/517847.html?title=Woman+with+brick+lawn+faces+thou sands+in+fines+ - broken link)


So not only HOA's will fine....

[Mike1306]

If she would have pulled the permit she wouldn't have these problems. She then just let the fines accumulate for months.

She has no one to blame but herself.

[frankiea68]

people have a right to treat their property as they seem fit so long as it does not affect others. you are too accepting of poor, encroaching govt.. lots of examples in the history books when govts do what they want and dictate terms. life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ... no mention of harrassment, which is what this is!

[Boompa]

Who is the crooked contractor who did this job without a permit. That is who should be looking at fines

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by frankiea68

people have a right to treat their property as they seem fit so long as it does not affect others. you are too accepting of poor, encroaching govt.. lots of examples in the history books when govts do what they want and dictate terms. life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness ... no mention of harrassment, which is what this is!

It was not that she put pavers down, it is that she did it with out a permit.

People can do what they like with thier property as long as in is done within the limits of the current code.

Should your neighbor be allowed to have a pig sty in a residential neighborhood? It is on their property and the smell may not bother them so they may think it does not affect you.

Not to mention the fact that with the water shortages we have been having, increased paving over of what were grassy areas add to the amount of rainwater that may run off and not get back to the aquifer thus affecting everyone.

[gypsychic]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

It was not that she put pavers down, it is that she did it with out a permit.

People can do what they like with thier property as long as in is done within the limits of the current code.

Should your neighbor be allowed to have a pig sty in a residential neighborhood? It is on their property and the smell may not bother them so they may think it does not affect you.

Not to mention the fact that with the water shortages we have been having, increased paving over of what were grassy areas add to the amount of rainwater that may run off and not get back to the aquifer thus affecting everyone.

I so agree. People who pave their yards are idiots and I hate it! It really should not be allowed. I have no sympathy for her.

[stpeteguy]

Originally Posted by Mike Peterson

It was not that she put pavers down, it is that she did it with out a permit.

People can do what they like with thier property as long as in is done within the limits of the current code.

Should your neighbor be allowed to have a pig sty in a residential neighborhood? It is on their property and the smell may not bother them so they may think it does not affect you.

Not to mention the fact that with the water shortages we have been having, increased paving over of what were grassy areas add to the amount of rainwater that may run off and not get back to the aquifer thus affecting everyone.

Did you pay for her property?? Does it belong to you??

Your a real estate jockey, of course your going to side with the city code, because all you care about is making a buck.

What about this ladies personal freedom? What about owning land in this country? What does it mean, when we can't do something to improve our own yard without being fined thousands of dollars?


She improved the look of the place according to her neighbors. EVerybody is happy, except the parasites at city hall that didn't get their cut.

That's all this is about, they want money. nothing else.

[tjax1000]

Her "yard" looks awful. I would have used red lava rock or something, it would drain much better, and you could actually landscape it with some native-type plants that are used to the temperature and lack of rain. You could actually pull that off and look halfway classy. Of course, when you've got a jet ski and boat trailer parked in your front yard, you're not worried about class.

I'd admit, the "before" picture didn't look too great either.

[Mike1306]

Originally Posted by stpeteguy

Did you pay for her property?? Does it belong to you??

When people buy property there are codes already in place. She chose to buy in that area so she needs to obey the codes in place. If she did not like the building codes she could have moved somewhere else.

Your a real estate jockey, of course your going to side with the city code, because all you care about is making a buck.

You obviously have no argument since you had to rely on that old schtick. The building code is in place to make sure when new homes are built or changes are made to current homes that they uphold the integrity of the community and the homes will be safe.

What about this ladies personal freedom? What about owning land in this country? What does it mean, when we can't do something to improve our own yard without being fined thousands of dollars?

As stated, when she bought there the buliding codes were in place. She could have lived somewhere out in the country where the codes are not so stringent,

She improved the look of the place according to her neighbors. EVerybody is happy, except the parasites at city hall that didn't get their cut.

Do you know what happens when ground is paved over? It decreases how much water gets back to the aquifer. It also adds to the chance of flooding. If everyone in the neighborhood was to put down pavers and there was no where for the water to go to what happens then. It floods and that is why codes are in place to regulate this sort of thing.

That's all this is about, they want money. nothing else.

Once again, she had a simple fix. Get the permit and pay the double charge for not having it originally. Based on my experience the permit would have been around $60. She had thousands for pavers but not $60 for a permit.

And then she didn't respond to them and let it fester for months. Once again her fault.

[Marlin331]

I am not condoning at all the owner's decision to ignore the initial violation and let the fines accumulate, but I must say that her front yard looks very nice now, especially when compared with the "before" picture! She can now use her front yard as a patio/pseudo-"courtyard" area... better use than a blank lawn that sits and soaks up water.