You CAN Fight City Hall

[Glinda]

Since March, I have been involved in a war with county code enforcement over a garden shed I’ve been building on my property. I think (I hope!) I’ve finally shut this shit down.

Local codes state that if a property owner builds a garden shed of less than 200 square feet, no permits or building inspections are required. My asshole neighbor (I’ve mentioned my issues with him in the past) submitted a complaint to code enforcement, claiming that my garden shed was occupied (a big no-no). Well, the shed is not now, and never has been, occupied. Said asshole neighbor is nothing more than a spiteful asshole neighbor, intent on creating trouble for me any way he can, up to and including submitting false complaints to code enforcement.

Nevertheless, in late March the local code enforcement coordinator (CEC) sent me a letter insisting that I get a permit for the shed. In his letter, no specific information was included as to why a permit was needed, nor was documentation provided as to which specific codes were supposedly violated. As it turns out, this is a gross abuse of procedural due process in the code enforcement arena, and a direct violation of my Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights. I didn’t respond to the CEC’s letter because it was a giant pile of fly-blown dog shit. My shed was built carefully following local codes (and exceptions thereto) for my particular zoning designation. Bottom line, the shed does NOT require permits or inspections.

In early June, I received a Notice and Order from the CEC, stating that I was in violation of local codes concerning permits, occupation, and zoning setbacks; I was given 30 days to either tear down the shed, get a permit for it, or request a hearing. I opted to request a hearing and submitted an in-depth review of and rebuttal to these nutty, non-applicable code violation assertions.

About a week later, the CEC vacated the Notice and Order demand and finally explained exactly which codes my shed supposedly violated. The problem was, these new (supposed) code violations were completely different than the violations listed in the previous Notice and Order. Basically, the CEC was flinging an ever-changing list of undocumented and unproven code violations at me in the hope that at least one might stick.

Well, I don't roll over for anybody, especially when I know I'm right.

I was finally able to figure out who was in ultimate charge over this officious prick CEC and his entire department, and sent that guy and everyone else in local government I could think of a letter explaining how my garden shed met every county code (and exceptions thereto), how my Constitutional rights were clearly bring violated, and how this CEC was an ignorant fucking moron who needed to be fired.

A few days ago, CEC’s big boss contacts me and says he’ll look into it. This morning, CEC’s big boss tells me that, yeah, it doesn’t look like your shed is in violation of any county codes, but we’d still appreciate your permission to come inspect it just to be sure.

Yeah, no. I don’t think so.

Today, I spoke with a Real Estate attorney who, as it happens, used to be a member of the county’s Land Use Planning Commission. The attorney told me that I am well within my rights to deny a request to allow code enforcement building inspectors on my property. He also said that the odds of the county taking the next step and petitioning a court for a search warrant to allow them to inspect the shed are about the same as the odds that Donald Trump will stop tweeting. HA!

Late this afternoon, I sent a very polite and respectful letter to the CEC’s big boss and said, in essence, thanks but you’re not welcome here and you need to stop harassing me about this stupid garden shed. We’ll see what happens next.

Whatever it might be, I ask that all of you send your good karma my way. This isn’t my first battle with city hall – years ago I forced the City of San Francisco to do something to stop people from driving their goddamned cars up the sidewalk directly outside my front door. I won.

I hope to win this case as well, but I’m not above asking for any karmic help all of you might be able to add to my fight. Thank you and goodnight.

Updates tomorrow, when I assume I’ll hear back from the CEC’s big boss. Please wish me luck!

[xoxoxoBruce]

Would a hit man help, could probably get a group rate on the CEC moron and the neighbor.

[BigV]

I was gonna say I pity the government, but really, this is a real example of "government of the people, by the people, for the people".

You're personifying the American ideal.

#cellarproud

[Glinda]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Would a hit man help, could probably get a group rate on the CEC moron and the neighbor.

That is an option I've considered. I'll let you know.

[Glinda]

Originally Posted by BigV

I was gonna say I pity the government, but really, this is a real example of "government of the people, by the people, for the people".

You're personifying the American ideal.

#cellarproud

Thanks, Big V. *blush*

[Diaphone Jim]

You probably have a pretty good idea by now what is allowed and what is not.
Is there any chance your neighbor might have a little something reportable?

[Hopalong48]

You could call the fire dept and report a big ass fire.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

[Gravdigr]

You go, Hot Glinda!

[Glinda]

[Glinda]

Originally Posted by Diaphone Jim

You probably have a pretty good idea by now what is allowed and what is not.
Is there any chance your neighbor might have a little something reportable?

Oh, I'm sure there probably is, but his five-acre property is long and narrow - his house is at the extreme east end of the lot and my house is at the extreme west end of the lot. There are too many trees and shrubs in the way for me to see exactly what sort of shit he's up to from my property, but I'm always looking as I drive down my easement road (which comes close to his house at one point).

Another example of his assholery - for the last few weeks, he's had a trail camera aimed at my easement road. I got the good neighbor (who owns the land that my easement passes through) to send him a cease and desist letter, demanding that he stop spying on us (invasion of privacy, etc.). He took it down the other day.

This SOB will surely come up with some other way to harass me, but for now, his code enforcement complaint is dead and code enforcement knows that he's a troublemaker. Next time he tries to complain about anything, they'll most likely ignore it or shut him down outright.

[xoxoxoBruce]

You need a widow's walk on your roof.

[Glinda]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

You need a widow's walk on your roof.

With a sniper's nest.

[xoxoxoBruce]

No no, you don't want to start a shooting war, that way everyone loses. You just want him to be aware you can see what he's up to at will.

[Glinda]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

No no, you don't want to start a shooting war, that way everyone loses. You just want him to be aware you can see what he's up to at will.

That's why I built the shed so tall. I've got my own trail camera at the roofline, which is six feet taller than the six-foot cedar fence I built along our property line. It's aimed at my gate and easement road, but it also captures (some of) what's on the other side of the fence.

[Dude111]

Originally Posted by Glinda

Well, I don't roll over for anybody, especially when I know I'm right.

I was finally able to figure out who was in ultimate charge over this officious prick CEC and his entire department, and sent that guy and everyone else in local government I could think of a letter explaining how my garden shed met every county code (and exceptions thereto), how my Constitutional rights were clearly bring violated, and how this CEC was an ignorant fucking moron who needed to be fired.

Im proud of you Glinda!!!




Its not good to let people walk all over you... Im going thru a problem on another site..... They are being very very mean to me... This one moderator doesnt like me and started trouble 3 years ago and had me blocked...... I have been trying to get back there so bad..... I didnt do anything!! (My friend who was a co-admin told me to just start creating acct after acct if i really wanna be there) - I have had over 60 since...... He said they are being very mean about me....... (This one bitch started it and was the reason I was blocked -- IT WOULD BE NICE IF SHE LEFT THE SITE!!!!!!!!!!)

If I didnt like that site so much I wouldnt be trying so hard....


I hope things work out for ya Glinda


God bless you..........