A Zoning Issue! Can Anyone help?

[R W Burgess]

My friend, Robert Aftel from Fredericksburg, Virginia, has a problem posted on another forum. I duplicated it here. Can anyone help?

Wayne

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> After discreetly storing two cars next to my garage for eight years, someone has filed a complaint with the county - Stafford, Virginia. The gentleman from code enforcement was very nice and understanding, and from our conversation I have two choices to deal with the situation.

1. Put up a privacy fence, taking the cars out of view. My wife does not like this option.

2. Get one of the vehicles tagged - Stafford allows me one vehicle untagged, and putting plates on one would get me in compliance.

The problem with 2 is that I would need insurance, and my antique coverage does not cover a parts car that is parked outside all the time. Does anyone know of an insurance company that will write coverage for a registered parts car that will not be driven?

Thanks,

Robert

</div></div>

[Ron Green]

Here's my 2 cents.

Put up a fence tightly around the one car (their ok with having the one exposed it sounds) that you least likely need parts from, or both if required, this would be a lot cheaper then carrying any type of insurance. Fencing isn't that expensive and can quickly be put up or taken down. Maybe the neighbors would possibly like it painted a nice combination of pink and purple with flourescent glow in the dark orange dots. Perhaps a painted mural of Charles Manson that would be lit all night?

What I do for my pick up that I tow with is suspend the insurance coverage during the winter since it won't be used. It costs me $22 for fire and theft coverage plus I don't have to turn the tags in. He may want to speak with his regular insurance carrier and see what might be available and the options.

[Guest JDHolmes]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> After discreetly storing two cars next to my garage for eight years, someone has filed a complaint with the county - Stafford, Virginia. The gentleman from code enforcement was very nice and understanding, and from our conversation I have two choices to deal with the situation.

1. Put up a privacy fence, taking the cars out of view. My wife does not like this option.

2. Get one of the vehicles tagged - Stafford allows me one vehicle untagged, and putting plates on one would get me in compliance.

The problem with 2 is that I would need insurance, and my antique coverage does not cover a parts car that is parked outside all the time. Does anyone know of an insurance company that will write coverage for a registered parts car that will not be driven?

Thanks,

Robert

</div></div>

Actually, your regular auto insurance provider may write you a policy. I have state farm and they offered me "classic" insurance when I was pricing other insurance and mentioned old cars. Barring "classic" insurance, put on a minimum policy of regular insurance, and finally, although not quite on the up and up, move the car to the garage for a bit, get classic insurance and then move it out. Just don't make a claim when someone steals your "junk".

[Shop Rat]

My question would be the following. Was the complaint filed because someone moved in that does not like looking at the cars or was it filed by someone that figured out this is in violation and decided to turn him in?

If it is someone that really would rather not look at parts cars then you can do a lot with landscaping such as hedges and flowers that look really nice and it would not be the fence the wife does not want. We have a chassis to a 1939 Dodge hidden between/behind a hedge and our RV. You really have to look hard to see it. There are no rules up here where we are to say we need to hide it.

If it is just someone that wants to make trouble then I like the idea submitted above about the pink and purple fence with orange polka dots. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[1937hd45]

First off this is BS, what is the neighbor trying to proove? I assume both cars will sit right were they are but will now have a stockade fence around them. Used fencing is cheap, I got 12 six foot high sections for free one day, stars were REALLY shining on me I had a Budget rental truck AND a helper on board. Blots out the yuppie behind me who NEVER turns off his outside lights. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

[Guest raftel]

Thanks for posting this to the proper forum!

This individual called to the code enforcement office with three complaints in my neighborhood, about various things, so I don't think this is especially about me or old cars, but rather a neighborhood nudnick out to clean up the 'hood. Now mind you, this is an older, upper-middle class area with no covenants and minimum 1/2 acre lots.

I'll try my regular auto carrier and see what can be worked out. Failing that, some cheap fencing and cheap, bright paint will make for a nice art project for my little kids to spend an afternoon with :-)

Robert

[Guest Albert]

another idea rent a 20foot storage container for 1 month, and put one of the cars inside the container, i'am going throught the same BS now as well

[oldford]

If worse comes to worse, buy a used box trailer and license that. You can store the parts car in the trailer until you need to use the trailer, then just roll it out.

Frank

[1937hd45]

Ever notive that nobody bitches about boats? I've always thought it would be cool to get a BIG boat cut the stern off it roll a car inside and reattach the stern and just claim you're overhauling the boat. The above is best done at night or while the neighbor is away. Onece you get your new fence installed be sure to cove as much of it as you can with aluminum foil and mirrors, it will prevent elephants from roaming in the yard. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

[Shop Rat]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ever notive that nobody bitches about boats?</div></div>

Funny that you bring up about boats. My Dad and Mom, prior to her passing, decided to put their winter home (a park model trailer in Fla.) up for sale when they came back home. My oldest brother is handling the sale for them. He told me that one lady actually broke down and cried because she wanted Mom and Dad's place but could not bear to look out of the front window at a boat with a HUGE blue tarp on it. She told my brother that if it had a regular boat cover on it she could have handled that.

Hey if I hated that tarp that bad but wanted the place, I'd buy them a cover I liked. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

[Amphicar BUYER]

I would plate one car with the minimum liability ins on it. Make them look at it every day for being such a P.I.T.A. No way would I build a fence or hedges (both require maintenance).

[Guest greg72monte]

With web sites like google earth and zillow.com, there is no hiding anymore. Any of your neighbors can spy on you to see what you have behind that fence or hedge. Some municipalities do not allow "any" ungaraged unregistered vehicles, even if they are out of view.

[Amphicar BUYER]

Those sites sat photos can be up to 3 years old and are only a 1 meter resolution. This means only objects of 1 meter (39") can be identified seperatly from other objects. This does not mean it is clear enough to tell what that 1M object is. This is not usually enough to tell if it's a car or a bare spot in the yard.

[Dave@Moon]

Google Earth's resolution varies widely over different locations. Until very recently the photos they had of downtown Pittsburgh were taken just after an early fall flood in 2004. The Pirates were playing an afternoon game, you tell which team was at bat, and you could discern individual fans in the stands by their clothing. Flood debris down to the size of tree branches could be seen littering the edges of the river. The resolution is so good you can sometimes even identify individual cars by model. Police cars, with their roof lights, are easy to spot.

Again until very recently, my old house 25 miles away was almost impossible to discern. There cars on the street (or on lawns) were just fuzzy patches if they were visible at all. The new update is now in high/peak resolution for Google Earth.

Both areas were updated within the month. There's now a fair/circus of some sort going on in the Heinz Field parking lot. You can actually see the tent roofs puckering where the support poles and lines are attached. My old house has a bright red extended cab pickup truck sitting in the driveway, and the new owner's kid has toys scattered all over the back yard and deck.

[Guest raftel]

I found the title, and called my modern car insurer. For the low, low price of $200/yr, I can insure the car. So here's my idea. I get the insurance, title and register the car (cost ~$60, and permanent in Virginia), and call the county to verify compliance. Once that is done, I suspend registration on the car (but keep the plates) and cancel the insurance. Car is sitting there with valid (but unbeknownst to them suspended) tags. If Senior Nudnick strikes again, hey, it's tagged. If they dig deeper and call DMV (doubtful), they may ping on me about my having suspended the registration, in which case I repeat the cycle. We'll see who gets bored first ;-)

[ex98thdrill]

Wayne, in our community, we're not allowed to have any unregistered vehicles outside at all. The way we got around it was to put the vehicle on our open car trailer, and register the trailer in the state of Maine. Maine requires no inspection on the trailer, and the license fee for a trailer in the state of Maine is $20 a year. Maine will register a trailer with your legal address even if it is out of state, and you can get the paperwork and contact information to do it online.

....Another way to play the game, you would have one unregistered vehicle, and one registered trailer. I don't think there's much they could do about it.

[Fred Zwicker]

I vote for the landscaping idea instead of fencing (with or without insurance). It is amazing how nicely things can be concealed behind a row of shrubs (arborvitae) that grow about one foot per year. They require almost zero maintenance. At work, a friend stored a huge motor home out back and we previously had a row of arborvitae around the parking area. It is shielded so nicely that the motor home is almost invisible. If your zoning will allow this as a barrier, it is the way to go. Fences require painting and the posts sometimes rot out. If you plant the proper size shrubs (at least 3 foot to start), within 2 or 3 years, the cars will be completely concealed and will enhance your property.

Fred

[ex98thdrill]

That's true Fred. The only thing I'm thinking is that if someone is in the process of restoring a car, and it is something that they plan on trailering anyways, they can put the car on the trailer now, and when the restoration is done, they've already got the trailer to haul it.

...In simpler terms, the trailer gets put to good use now and at a later time.

[Amphicar BUYER]

The problem is that the insurance companies in most places are required to notify the DMV of the insurance being added and dropped. Some states will confiscate the plates when they are notified of the dropped ins. I like the trailer idea! Bushes and such attract animals to eat your wiring and leave "calling cards" in and on your car.

[ex98thdrill]

In New York if you cancel your insurance and don't surrender your license plates, they suspend your driver's license. Of course you have the portable garages (more like tents), but some of those require a permit and carry headaches as well. A decent used trailer might run the same or less money than these portable garages, and can keep you within compliance of the ordinances.

Usually after we leave Hershey, we come home, unhook the truck and leave the car inside our enclosed trailer, with the car cover on it. We've found very little moisture, no cobwebs, and the cars have actually stayed cleaner in our trailer than they have in our garage.

[pepstrebeck]

So after reading the original post and the following responses: Why is this BS, and what is wrong with following the rules that are set for the entire community?

It sounds as if there are very simple ways to fix the violation and be in complience with the local ordinance that were suggested by the ordinance officer. It would seem that if half as much effort were put into following the rules and the local ordinances as is put into trying to circumvent the system and rub it into someones face, there would not be any problem. The local ordinances are put in place for a reason, to help all the property owners in a community maintain and raise their property value. If there is a problem with a certain ordinance, take it up with your local municipality (clerk, council, zoning board, etc.) and try to have it changed, until then the rules are there for all of us not just those that choose top abide by them. Someone calling the ordinance department is just looking out for his or her property, so why not help them out and look after your own as well?

[novaman]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"> Someone calling the ordinance department is just looking out for his or her property, so why not help them out and look after your own as well? </div></div>

Not necessarily the case. My parents bought a house here in NC years ago and I moved into to it while they were still in NY. They hired a contractor to build a garage behind the house. The contractor had all the permits an everything cleared with the building inspector. The garage is two story, built like a barn. The day they set the trusses for the second floor, here comes the building inspector. They had a call that we were building an apartment. He knew better but had to make the "official" visit. Got the building built.

About a year later here comes the building inspector. Got a report that we added carports and the garage was too close to the property line. He remembered the garage and the fact we built the carports at the same time the garage was built. He checked with the contractor as to how the set back line was determined and we showed him the survey markers on the corners of the property and determined we were fine.

The whole problem with the garage was the fact we built a two story garage in an area that has single story homes. Everything was within code but some of the neighbors had a problem with it. Now before you get going, let me describe the surroundings. Dead end road, that runs downhill. Three houses away (on city lots), the main floor is ABOVE the roof line of the garage. The garage was built back into the small woods (mainly evergreens) behind the house. the garage was really only visible to the three other houses on the dead end street unless you really looked for it.

There are those people that seem to need something to complain about. These people would complain if the two cars happened to be new 2006 Vipers and happened to appear.

My sister lives in GA and they had a neighbor that was that way. She was always complaining about my sister's dog doing its business in her yard. He never did. It happened to be someone else's German Shepard that didn't resemble my sister's German Shepard. Their colors were reversed. And she gripped at most neighbors over the smallest things. Yet she was the biggest offender of the rules in the housing community. She gripped to one neighbor because they let some friends into the gated pool area. Yet she GIVES the code to her friends so they can use it. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" />

Again some people have to have something to gripe about.

Now the other year, I had problems with some chickens. I live within the city limits and livestock (including chickens) are banned. I've heard a rooster a block away, ever since I bought my house. I admit, I like hearing him in the morning and there doesn't seem to be any smell from them, so I was fine with them. But the other year the chickens started tearing up the neighborhood. Several of us reported the chickens to the cops. They in turned told him to get rid of them. When they received more reports about them, they went back and he told them he disposed of them in the country. The cops got more reports of chickens, so the town declared them a nuisance so the cops could catch/shoot them. I spotted the rooster one day called the cops and the animal control officer arrived, shot the rooster point blank with rat shoot twice and it took off!! He didn't know what to do. I asked if I could shoot them with bow and arrow (can't shoot gun in city limits). He said fine but be care full. In the following week I shoot 6 of them. The rest haven't been back. I still heard the rooster. I and my other neighbors don't have a problem with them now that they aren't tearing up stuff. I did hear from one neighbor at that time, that the guy was cussing me for having shot his chickens.

My point mainly is this; there are thousands of laws on rules that govern what we can and can not do on our property, but before "snitchin" on someone, it pays to make sure your complaint is legit and what real effect does the "problem" have on you. If the cars were four blocks away, is it really worth the complaint? I not advocating blatantly breaking the laws but if the person is at least making an effort to comply, give them the benefit.

I'd put up temporarily fencing. put a couple of 4x4 posts at the corners of the cars and stretch a blue tarp between them. The cars are hidden from sight. Just no tarp over the top. Then they can't try claiming it a building.

[Guest Hal Davis (MODEL A HAL)]

I know what you mean.

I used to live in a subdivision with some pretty strict covenants. Never again. Everybody there was peeved about one rule or another. That made them want to report violators of all the other rules. Not because the rule they were breaking necessarily upset them. But because it was agianst the rules. One guy wants to park his boat where it's visible from the street but that's against the rules, so he reports his neighbor for putting the trashcan on the side of the house rather than behind it. Childish BS is all it was. I'm glad I live in the country, now.

[Amphicar BUYER]

Rules are NOT necessarily for the good of all. I put up a carport to provide myself with a dry place to get into my truck. I use a wheelchair so it takes me a few minutes to get in. In the rain and snow this can guarantee that I am soaked by the time I get in. The local inspector decided that in spite of 50+ similar structures in my 360 home neighborhood, mine was not legal. They spent 18 months harassing me over it. I ended up loosing and now I get soaked every time I have to leave in inclement weather be cause of the inspector?s opinion. I have other ways I will approach it soon. They have forced me into playing a game because of the inspector's problem, and nobody elses. (see photo of me getting a ticket, later the officer on his own time and off the clock apologized to me personally for it)

To be so naive as to think that this type of problem is only because somebody " <span style="font-style: italic"> is just looking out for his or her property</span> " is ludicrous! Occasionally, that may be true, but most of the time it is just somebody without enough to do. To think it is easy to change is also far fetched and not a real world scenario.

If there were 1/2 as much effort put into making the rules make sense and be for the good of all as there was put into enforcing them when they obviously are not practical, the whole world would be a better place to live.

{Stepping off my soapbox}

[Guest leadsled1953]

having been on both sides of zoning issues i say the cheapest way is a fence.be carefull about the pink and white polk a dot paint.where i used to live you needed a variance to paint anything odd colors like that so check first

[K8096]

My wife & I are moving to a bigger house with more land so I can build a big garage next year. One thing I insist on is not moving to an area that has a home owners association. Just too much BS to deal with.

[Guest leadsled1953]

i'm lucky because our delevopment is older and doesnt have a home owners association.the 2 sub divsions next to us has them .not good.one thing i will tell you after being in court for years because of a zoning issue make sure you keep up on locial news,go to your board meetings.other wise deals that affect you are made which are hard and expensive to undo.

[ex98thdrill]

In my area we are allowed to have a licensed trailer outside, but not an unlicensed car. If the car is parked on a licensed trailer, it's legal. Is that bending the rules?? No, that is a simple way of being within compliance with the rules.

Just because a vehicle doesn't have plates on it, doesn't mean that it's junk. Some of us have to put a vehicle outside for a while, because we're working on getting another one roadworthy inside. If you do a frame off restoration, it almost takes a three car garage (or more) to be able to spread out the parts for one vehicle that is apart.

Hey John, as for your dillema on Colorado, is there anything against putting an RV in your driveway?? I was thinking if you put an RV in your driveway and extend the awning, your butt wouldn't be getting wet anymore if you backed your truck where your door opens under the awning. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

- I don't have an RV, but I love to play a good joke and to prove someone wrong. There is more than one way to skin a cat <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

[Amphicar BUYER]

I toyed with them for 18 months. One thing I tried (got many laughs, by even the judge!!) Look in the photo at the top of the carport. There is a licence plate there, why? Because I titled and licenced it as a trailer for a while! You know when the police apologize on their own time , that something must be wrong with the "system". Not even the one neighbor who complains about EVERYTHING cared about this. In fact she preferred it to the empty spots.

The laws allow any number of 120 Sq/Ft structures w/o permits or inspections. I am going to built four 10 x 12 lean to type structures. They wil not touch or be connected in any way. I get my protection and it will fit within the letter of the law.

MOO BWA HA HA HA HA!!

[Guest Moepar]

Zoning, or in my case the lack thereof, is the reason we bought what we did where we did. A neighbor of ours has about a dozen cars in various states of disrepair. He fixes 'em up enough to make a few dollars, then sells them to supplement his retirement. Doesn't bother us - he was there long before we bought this place so I wouldn't have any room to complain <span style="font-weight: bold"> even if</span> it did.

We also bought an adjoining track of land so that we have a total of 35.5 continuous acres. Only neighbor we can see is across the streeet, & there is nothing built on that side of his property. If there was, we have nice white pine trees along the road that do enough screening for us.

While we do have a junk car, it cannot be seen by anyone from the road. That was our choice. Frankly, I don't want to have to mow around the dang thing, it's easier to have it behind our work shop where the trees are. Easy access to power tools for when parts are needed (reason #2 for its location).

About 7 years back, there was talk about doing a county wide junk car ordinence where I live. In the state of NC, any time you want to enact zoning of any type, the state will<span style="font-weight: bold"> tell</span> the county what its minimum regulation on that specfic type is regardless of what the county citizens want, & the county can match it or add too it but cannot do less than the minimum required. The zoning for junk cars would also have to include small engines (lawn mowers, both push & riding), boats (because they would require trailers for moving them), and several more items. It would have allowed an ordinence officer to walk your property lines (with or without your knowledge) to see if anything could be 'seen' from them, regardless of if there was a complaint or a residence anywhere near enough to the property line to see anything. The folks of this county got their shorts in a wad over this (my husband & I being cheif amongst them) and completely packed the zoning board & county commissioner meetings for months protesting this. By the time it was over, five of the seven zoning board members quit & a group of us volunteered to help resolve junk car issues between neighbors. The one case that sparked the zoning talk was resolved by a simple visit from my husband & one of the others in our group helping the old man push his car around to the back of his house, out of sight of the bothered neighbor. Sometimes being just neighborly does the trick. Sometimes it doesn't (had a neighbor like that too - reason #1 we can't see our closest neighbor!!)

[R W Burgess]

Interesting story, Dawn. It also shows how a democracy works, if you particapate. That's the problem, as sometimes others expect you to take up for their side, then no one shows up, you get stuck with a bad law or ordinance.

Wayne

[Shop Rat]

Then you get people like our neighbor's son.

Our neighbor was a great guy, he died last year in May of a massive heart attack. He left behind a bunch of junk cars, boats etc. in his yard. One fairly nice antique, I think Bill said it is a 1930's Chevy, that has never been started in the twenty-two years we have lived here. And he told Bill that years ago he bought out the entire parts stock of an old Ford dealership and put it in a building somewhere. His widow is a wonderful woman and great neighbor.

Rumor from another neighbor is that the son stopped by to talk to her husband about having our private road paved. There are six houses on this ridge and two of them are owned by one family up here. The son is thinking of getting his mother out of the house and putting it up for sale. He feels that the bumpy road, paved with free leftover asphalt from the neighbor that owns two houses, will keep people from buying his mother's house.

Gee, ya' think all the junk in the yard, and I am sure in the house, should be cleared out and the overgrown bushes and trees trimmed/removed before you demand that a very servicable road have thousands of dollars spent on it to pave it? It is a steep hill so we all have at least one four-wheel drive truck up here so a few bumps don't bother us. Oh, and he drives a four-wheel drive Ford so he has no problems getting up here either.

[RVAnderson]

The problem with moving out to where there are less restrictive zoning laws is that soooner or later, everyone follows you out there and they bring their laws out with them.

[1937hd45]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The problem with moving out to where there are less restrictive zoning laws is that soooner or later, everyone follows you out there and they bring their laws out with them. </div></div>

Oh yes, hunting accidents that is a problem. <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

[Guest Moepar]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The problem with moving out to where there are less restrictive zoning laws is that soooner or later, everyone follows you out there and they bring their laws out with them. </div></div>

Another reason to keep up with what the 5 stooges, oops, I mean the county commissioners are up too..... <img src="http://forums.aaca.org/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

[rocketraider]

The one that peed me off and made me laugh too was when some "out-of-towners" bought in a subdivision that had been built up a quarter-mile from South Boston Speedway. Speedway opened in 1957. Subdivision was developed in 1993.

New suburbanites immediately started raising teetotal hell over the noise on Saturday nights and demanded zoning to eliminate it. The judge who ultimately heard the case asked them, "Did you not notice the racetrack next door when you bought your home? It's operated there continuously since 1957." Case dismissed.

A guy down the road from me put up a singlewide trailer on land his parents had deeded to him and lived in it for several years until he built a house. Couple years later, another couple bought the lot across from him and put up a singlewide, with intent to build later (which they did). First guy went ape over that and raised a racket about zoning and property devaluation yaddayadda. His own dad finally told him to sit down and shut up, because he had been the guy in the trailer not too much earlier.

[ex98thdrill]

John,

In my neck of the woods, there are some mennonites who do a lot of carpenter work. They build gazeebos, sheds, and even small garages and deliver them. Because they deliver these buildings, they come on skids, and in the eyes of our zoning, they are considered temporary structures, so there aren't any permit issues either.

Perhaps, that may be another "loophole" in your zoning that allows for this.

Don't get me wrong, we don't actively defy the zoning laws in our parts, but with a little thought, there are ways where you can legally push the envelope.

In my community when we put in the permit to build our shop, we had some trouble for it because "you can't have a barn in the village." When their choices were to have the permit to build a barn, versus having 15+ unregistered vehicles sitting outside, we got our permit.

There are times when we need space and we'll leave one out, but when we do, we'll put one on the trailer, we're still legal, and no one bothers us. Usually we do it in the summer time when we're working on something and we'll leave something out. Currently we have an unregistered pickup out on the trailer, but after Hershey, it'll go in the barn for good.

If you've ever had a fire truck apart where you've had the box, cab, pump, frame, fenders, doors, hood, interior, engine, transmission, axles, rims, tires, etc. spread out across the floor, it takes up a lot of space. Even with a building as big as ours, it was still too tight, and we had to stretch the rules a little bit. Now that the truck is together, we'll be okay until we tear something else apart.

[Guest leadsled1953]

be very carefull of loopholes .most of the time its the size of your building that decides what permits you need if any.about 20 years ago i i bought a 16 x8 shed had it delivered.turns out any shed over 8 x 6 needs a building permiti was tied up in zoning for 3 months,spend more than it would have cost for 2 sheds.the next town i moved to i went to the zoning office got the permits,had an inspection and got a co.that help in selling my house last week.also i could only have a 16 x 10n shed because you are only allowed to cover 30 percent of your lot.so you have to go to zoning and ask before you do anything.do not asume anything is ok or they wont say something.the nieghbor who was next to me where the first shed was put up a 8 x 10 way in his back yard almost 20 years ago . you could not realy see it.well a couple of months ago the zoning officer rode around with the tax maps and a shed wasnt on his file...you know the story from there.

[Guest raftel]

I went and insured my car, and put plates on it. I called the County, they noted it on the record, and as far as they are concerned, the matter is closed. Closed, that is, until I get another complaint. And this was the first and only complaint in eight years. In which case they'll come out, verify tags are on the car, and tell the complaintant that I am in compliance.

In the meantime, after a respectful interval, I will suspend my registration, and cancel the insurance. As far as I know, in Virginia you can suspend the tags and take off the insurance as long as the vehicle is not driven. You can keep the tags, but if the suspension is too long, they can 'fall out' of the system, and you'll have to get new ones for $13.50. This is usually done by people with summer cars. Just be sure you do it in that order, or you will find that your license is suspended.

BTW Wayne - the clerk at the King George DMV asked if I knew what the restrictions were on Antique tags. I indicated that I did, and that was all she needed to hand them over =8-0

To me, going through this excercise is amusing because I know that after all is done, my car is exactly where it was, with a tag on it. The complaintant got no where. It cost me a total of ~$85, of which $45 was the cost to title the car to me (I never bothered) but if this does not settle the matter, I'll go the privacy fence and paint route.

And I live in an older neighborhood with no covenants or associations. Just county ordinances.

[rocketraider]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">clerk at the King George DMV asked if I knew what the restrictions were on Antique tags.</div></div>

Would that ALL DMV clerks did that! We wouldn't be in this legislative morass we're stuck in.

Then again there may be some pressure on them to do that now, what with all the mess that's been stirred up in General Assembly over misuse of antique plates.