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Old cars subject to nuisance laws in Pittsville, MD...


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More and more towns across the US are passing laws which restrict property owners from having vehicles without current tags/registration on their property. It doesn't matter if they're being worked on, were recently wrecked or if your daily driver has a rust spot or two, the town/state/county will charge fines until the vehicles are removed or come and get your car when your time is up.

I am dealing with this problem right now. I live on the outskirts of a small, country town and I recently received a letter in regards to my 1958 Olds. Apparently, even if your car is covered with a car cover, behind a 6 foot tall enclosed fence or in a three walled carport your car is subject to nuisance laws (if it has rust, is wrecked, partly dismantled or doesn't display current plates.) Town officials have the right to enter your private property at anytime, without you knowing, to inspect for such violations.

The sad part is most of these laws get passed by just a couple of clowns that call themselves "Town Managers" that to my knowledge, aren't even voted in! I can't even remember the last time there was an election and I've lived here for over 10 years.

Here is a copy of the letter that I received from my town so you can read the exact wording of the laws. I did remove my name and address from the top for safetly reasons.

(Sorry if it's small, I'm not sure how to make it bigger.)

So, if anyone is thinking of moving to Pittsville, MD you may want to keep your parts or project cars out of town limits. wink.gif

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hey i got the same thing and i live in Pa. Mine had current plates on it but being that it was rusty it had to be removed. And I drove it once in a while too. So out come the spray gun and some cheap paint over the rust and all and they were happy. thye said even tho it had good plates it was still a nuisance because of the rust!!!! I think it was because it is just a ugly car to begin with a 1951 desoto, of they were jelouis ( I know i cant spell ) because they didnt have one

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That happened to me too! My daily driver, a 1987 GTA Trans Am, had a rust spot on the roof and I was told to fix it or they'll take it. (I was planning on getting it painted anyway. I just had other projects in line first.)I think they just wanted my car.

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My neighbor ratted me off for having non running vehicles on my property. We live in a semi rural area in SoCal, 2.5 acres, zoned for light agriculture, horses, etc. I had to go to a hearing at the Asst. D.A.s office where I was berated for lowering property values (everyone loves that one, even though they have no plans of selling their property), creating a public nuisance/eyesore. I was threatened with a maximum fine of $3000 per violation. A violation is one car or or any part of a car per day!!! I was also told that it is, technically, illegal to even possess a non running/non registered car in The Peoples Republik of Kalifornia. You can place them on non-op status, but they must be parked out of sight. Mind you, this was not a case of one of those pack rats that you see on the 11 o'clock news whose yard is overflowing with junk and old newspapers and 28 pit bull mixes barking and pooping. There was a 40 Ford COE, a 50 Stude PU, and my brothers Chevy Van. All fairly presentable looking, parked in a row. I was given 30 days to clean up the "mess" and told it would be inspected and if even a nut or washer was found on the premises I could be fined. All I could do was to smile and agree with her, all the time thinking that. at this very moment, some degenerate could be raping a child and throwing the body into a ditch.

Scariest words, "We're from the Govenment and we're here to help you."

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You need to read the zoning laws and use them in your defense. If the book only says the vehicle must have current plates, show them the current registration and tell them where to go. I've been through this a few times myself, and I just put plates on the car and it's fine. I don't even get them inspected. The town I am in now the zoning office tried to lie to me and say a car trailer is considered a commercial vehicle and not allowed to be parked in this neighborhood. The code reads that commercial vehicles over 7500 lbs are not allowed - I could park my Suburban on the trailer and it would still be less than that. I called their bluff on it, asking them how people with pickup trucks with commercial plates could park them at home if commercial vehicles are not allowed.. never heard a word back from them.

I'd tell them to stick it if they whined about a rust spot or two. The letter above says nothing about rust - only that it have current tags on it. Especially if it's a driver - let it go to court and drive that vehicle to the court... tell the judge that you drove there in the "non-operating" vehicle and you'd be happy to show it to him if he wants to step outside. A vehicle can be 100% operable and have a hell of a lot of rust on it, one only need look at the beater Suburban I drive daily to see that.

Antique policies for older cars with low stated values are pretty cheap, cheaper than paying for a storage unit all year. Registration costs are usually annual or biannual. "operable" usually does not include requiring having a current vehicle inspection in the definition.

What it all comes down to is they really want for you to build a building to keep such vehicles inside, so that they can raise your assessment and get more in property taxes.

If I was given the line of crap about lowering property values, I'd state that living in a neighborhood where I'm not free to own the vehicles I choose and work on them greatly devalues the property for me. Probably wouldn't fly, but it begs the question of when my rights and freedoms are trumped by other people's complaints, and what country do we live in again?

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  • 2 weeks later...

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">What it all comes down to is they really want for you to build a building to keep such vehicles inside, so that they can raise your assessment and get more in property taxes.</div></div>

Bingo! We have a winner. Also remember that if the vehicle has plates, they can get even more personal property tax money off it. Not currently registered, the locality can't assess it.

Putting up my 36x50 pole barn has DOUBLED my real estate taxes. I can only imagine what a garage with foundation would have done. The property is roughly 2 miles from Virginia International Raceway which didn't help any- I told my local county Supervisor that all VIR had ever done for me was jack up my taxes, when they beat the drum loud with promises of improved electric and phone service (hasn't happened) and better road maintenance (finally happened after 7 years).

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hello from Glasgow, Scotland.

I have been reading the posts about nuisance laws and find it astonishing.I thought America was the land of "light touch" government but it seems this may not be the case.

If these laws were enforced over here we would not have the fun of unearthing some old thing from a barn where it had been lying for years.

I run a pre-WW2 Morris 8 and only a month ago I acquired a van load of spares from a farm in England where an old Morris had been left lying for many years.

It seems the authorities over here are much more reasonable when it comes to classic cars.

The annual roadworthieness test (we call it M.O.T.)is much less strict for old cars with no emmission test or requirement for seatbelts.Broadly speaking if the brakes, lights and steering work something like they did when the car was new it will pass the test.

Cars first registered before 1973 are classed as "historic" and do not have to pay the annual road tax although they still have to produce an insurance & roadworthieness certificate.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 4 weeks later...

It is an atrocity how these counties think that they can dictate what goes on with storage on a private property. We don't dictate to them were they take their special interest money or where they meet their mistress' (low blow!). I live in CA too and it is crazy that we even have to pay registration on the old cars! And how they think they can dictate what we put on the property, unless it is a risk to public safety like a drug lab, etc. then they should not touch it. And to our Scottish blogger, America is the land of hands off, but when a few wacked out far lefties or far righties take over it is hell for everyone! Not everywhere in the country is like that!

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