Permitting: rat on neighbor?

[George]

Not at all. Since the OP didn't state where they are then a generalized discussion is totally relevant.

[HeyBub]

Your points are well taken.

It's possible, however, that the neighbor lived there BEFORE annexation and/or zoning and/or permitting.

That said, I live in a city in excess of 5.5 million people. We don't have zoning or a permitting process that much interests the city. (I think they check on building permits for buildings taller than eight stories.)

My attitude is decidedly different toward zoning and permit compliance. In our part of the country, we tend to deal with miscreants directly.

It may be that the construction actually ENHANCES the neighborhood.

You have several options:

1. Do nothing. The legal principle involved is called "acquiescence by silence." If you don't like the project, you are obligated to speak up at the first opportunity. After that, your silence implies agreement.
2. Visit the neighbor. Tell him if his project ends up looking like the entrance to a trailer park, you and your neighbors will come beat the snot out of him.
3. Snitch the neighbor out to the nannies. You can attempt to do so "anonymously" but you WILL be discovered (nine times out of ten for one determined on vengence).
4. Anything other than #1 invites retaliation. Sometimes retaliation out of all proportion. Like scorched earth.

[mkirsch1]

Bullshit. Government bureaucrats do not know the meaning of the word discretion.

First thing out of their mouths will be, "Joe Schmoe from across the street, phone number XXX-YYY-ZZZZ, blew you in." They don't want to be the bad guys.

[Heathcliff]

I agree. When my neighbor fenced his yard, I was vaguely aware that there were some rules about sight lines from driveways but I didn't pursue it. His non-conforming fence basically runs all along my driveway to the sidewalk. By code, it should have stopped 15 feet short of the sidewalk. And now I see why: as I'm backing up out of the driveway, I'm scared to death one of his kids will shoot out from behind that fence on a tricycle or something. In retrospect there was a darn good reason for the rule and I wish I'd spoken up earlier. -- H

[gfretwell]

Code enforcement may tell you they are responding to a complaint, that is 99% of what they do, but they won't usually say who complained. Without that discretion, nobody would call and they would be out of a job. A lot of these calls are anonymous anyway.

[chaniarts]

there's nothing preventing you from doing so now. the city would make him remove the fence if it doesn't meet code.

[Oren]

Walk across the street and ask the guy. No biggy.

[Jay Hanig]

Why not just butt out? What business is it of the OP?

Jay

[Jim Yanik]

Jay Hanig wrote in news:cwcSn.100875$ [e-mail]:

I figure that if the project doesn't affect the "complainer",and the guy doing the project hasn't done something negative to the "complainer" in the past,then the "complainer" should MYOB.

Instead of trying to be a busybody or "junior lawman".

[Stormin Mormon]

That way he'll know who ratted?

[Oren]

No he learns from the one person, that talks to him directly.

Sometimes in a situation, one needs to explain things in simple terms.

What I mean? Talk to the neighbor!

[K]

In my experience, which is rather vast because I have a pond right next to the road, the zoning and wetlands officials ALWAYS tell me who complained.

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: [e-mail] ---

[SteveB]

If you do rat on him, there is absolutely nothing to be gained doing it before job completion. At that time, he may have the options of: paying for the permit plus a vig if the work meets specs, applying for a variance, or having to remove it all.

All ratting is a matter of balance, and you must ahead of time weigh the benefits and downsides to see if it is even worth stirring the brew. I had a zoning inspector come out once because a rat turned me in for having a little travel trailer parked next to my house. Technically, it was illegally parked, but he did mention that I did have the right to move it to the FRONT of the house and put it on the horseshoe driveway, and it would comply. I did that. He mentioned that one of my Tough Sheds was not set back far enough. I mentioned that I could show him at least a dozen that were within a block that were also not in compliance, and that if he were to cite me, that I would certainly appear at a county commissioners meeting and wail discrimination that I was cited, and the other dozen not. That issue died.

If it is not an atrocious looking thing your neighbor is doing, I'd just back off, lest you have an inspector out there, and you would have to move your shed, too.

Your property value is based on YOUR property, and the neighborhood, and unless all of your neighborhood is DIY Joe McGee's, one shouldn't affect your valuation that much.

Steve

Visit my site at

book coming soon!

All errors, brain farts, misspelled words intentional because this computer is set to Spelchek French, and I can't get it to do any different.

[Joe Carthy]

And how do you know this?

So you did something w/o a permit, but that's OK. Why don't you mind your own business!

[Robert Green]

Yes, the only way to make sure it's truly anonymous is to use a neighbor's name.

While they may not be around forever, there's always the mailbox. But karma is karma and ratting out your neighbor could turn around and bite you. I've lived in neighborhood war zones and peaceful, shady ones. I like the latter. A lot. That means "live and let live" most times unless Jeff Dauhmer just moved in and there's a real bad smell in the air. Then, you "gotta drop the dime." Boy is that slang obsolete!

-- Bobby G.

[Robert Green]

[Robert Green]

Point Miller. That was my take on it. Maybe, maybe not, but not enough info to be sure. Service!

-- Bobby G.

[Robert Green]

You're showing your (our!) age with a Bewitched reference. Even older: Let he who is without sin make the first zoning complaint.

-- Bobby G.

[Robert Green]

As a guy whom the very hand of God stopped me from backing over a little girl on a pink a tricycle under very similar circumstances, I would consider sending in an anonymous letter. Your issue is clearly a case of public safety because as you've said, you've got to be able to see to be sure. In my case - something - I can't say what, made me suddenly brake only to see the image of a little girl appearing from behind my car. She was never visible to me until that moment. Since then I've cut down all the shrubs in the front right of way and try to back in the driveway whenever possible so I don't have to back into the street butt first.

It's a very weird feeling to know you've just gotten a pass on what could have been the worst thing in quite a few people's lives. Drop the dime. You've got a much better reason than the the OP to see a change made. There isn't a time I back down the driveway without seeing her in my mind and thinking about how my life would have changed had I not decided to suddenly stop.

Cyclists under age 16 accounted for 24% of all cyclists killed in 2002. (Insurance Institute for Highway Saftey)

-- Bobby G.

[norminn]

My hope in making the complaint was to stop neighbors from complaining about my husband's junk, for his sake as well as mine...he is the supreme pack rat, and currently has one of those inflatable "garages" piled in a heap next to the hedge in a concealed corner of the yard....Making the code complaint seemed the best way to convince him that people were bothered, after I had mentioned it to him a few times.

There has been very serious retaliation against some in our condo who pressed for correction of serious maintenance issues or code issues while there were board members in very serious arrears in mo. maintenance payments. Sad fact was that most owners pissed and moaned about their own "issues" and ignored the standard, decent way of going about addressing concerns that were good for everyone. One owner remodeled without a building permit...had an architect draw up plans and submit to board. Removed walls. The architect said that because of the removal of that wall, an intersecting wall in the unit below would have to be reinforced; I don't believe that was ever done. The owner doing the remodeling did his own electrical work, put screws through the side of the microwave he installed, severed the duct for exhaust fan from kitchen in unit below. Heaven knows what else he did, but he doubled his money and moved on just before the real estate crash. He later got a contractor license and advertises for kitchen remodeling :o)