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L.A. County bites

9

98SVTC

Hard-core CEG'er
Joined
Dec 17, 2001
Messages
1,220
Location
Hong Kong Heights, Ca.
I'm putting this thread in the California forum even though this has been a problem throughout the country. Quite a few states have overthrown these sorts of bills but L.A. County is still living in some other dimension.

We aren't allowed to have a non operational vehicle anywhere on our property in L.A. County (code 22.20.025). What this means is if we are working on a car that doesn't run, we have 30 days from the citation to get it running or else we get fined. Yes, it could take a few more months before the fines get applied to our property tax but I know that car projects can take much longer than that. The inspector was out to visit me last month and he says he needs to see the car start up, move forwards and in reverse and then he'll sign it off. Of course we also have the option of donating or selling our cars. How nice. :rolleyes:

Anyway, if anyone has any advice or knows someone who has beat this sort of thing, post it here. I'm going to fight this and try to get the code amended to allow hobbyists ample time for car restorations and the like or to be immune from the code all together.
Karl
 
Here is the law in full



"A. A person shall not keep, store, park, maintain or otherwise permit any vehicle or any component thereof in the front yard, corner side yard or any additional area of a lot or parcel of land situated between the road and any building or structure located thereon, except that the parking of passenger vehicles including pickup trucks, other than a motor home or travel trailer, is permitted on a driveway.
B. A person shall not keep, store, park, maintain or otherwise permit an inoperative vehicle as defined in Section 22.08.220 in any residential zone. Inoperative vehicles shall be removed within 30 days from the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section.
C. Notwithstanding the above, a person may keep and maintain an historic vehicle collection, provided the director finds it to be in full compliance with Section 22.56.1761. (Ord. 91-0065 § 3, 1991.)"


Looks like its cut and dry, You may be able to do it in your own garage, with the garage door closed, but thats pushing it.

Not sure how to help you, besides getting a lawer. San jose does not have a law like this that im aware of.


Lupe
 
I agree with LA County and this should be state-wide. Non-running cars are a nusiance and create a poor image for neighborhoods. Blight is a coomon term.

As long as it's in your garage I'm fine with it but storing cars under blue tarps for years is a bad idea.

Car restorations require the use of dangerous chemicals, airborne pollutants, and water pollutants. That leaky oil/antifreeze/freon and the chemicals used in auto-body & paint is not good. Rent a shop if you want to do this activity where the conditions are controlled. Doing this in your yard at all hours of the night piss people off.


Just my opinion.......:shrug:
 
Fmr12B said:
I agree with LA County and this should be state-wide. Non-running cars are a nusiance and create a poor image for neighborhoods. Blight is a coomon term.

As long as it's in your garage I'm fine with it but storing cars under blue tarps for years is a bad idea.

Car restorations require the use of dangerous chemicals, airborne pollutants, and water pollutants. That leaky oil/antifreeze/freon and the chemicals used in auto-body & paint is not good. Rent a shop if you want to do this activity where the conditions are controlled. Doing this in your yard at all hours of the night piss people off.


Just my opinion.......:shrug:
Click to expand...

I'm glad you're not not my neighbor.

I agree about the front yard blight issue. I don't agree about not being able to work on or store cars out of sight in the back yard or garage.

LA County has some other wierd laws as well. A friend got busted for having a NOS bottle in his car. Hooked up and ready to run. They didn't care about it being modified or about any possible smog implications, only that in LA County, NOS is a controlled substance.

On the lighter side, a joke told to me by one of my hillbilly friends. Do you know how to tell the rich hillbilly from poor hillbillies? The rich hillbilly has TWO old cars on jackstands in front of his house.
 
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Fmr12B said:
I agree with LA County and this should be state-wide. Non-running cars are a nusiance and create a poor image for neighborhoods. Blight is a coomon term.

As long as it's in your garage I'm fine with it but storing cars under blue tarps for years is a bad idea.

Car restorations require the use of dangerous chemicals, airborne pollutants, and water pollutants. That leaky oil/antifreeze/freon and the chemicals used in auto-body & paint is not good. Rent a shop if you want to do this activity where the conditions are controlled. Doing this in your yard at all hours of the night piss people off.
Just my opinion.......:shrug:
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Probably about 1% of the people can afford to find and rent a shop or have their vehicles professionally restored but I'm not one of them. I guess I could also wish that the Overhaulin' crew would steal my car and rebuild it for me as well but that probably isn't going to happen. While you are fine with the vehicle being in my garage, the county isn't and that's why I think that the code should be amended. As far as the chemicals, etc., I've done this sort of work before without damaging the ecology of the land. To take your particular stand on this subject would doom most of the people on this board when doing engine swaps or other repairs which could be held up by parts acquisition or money concerns. I'm not wishing to be able to leave a vehicle for years on end sitting in the yard but common sense would dictate that some repairs can't be done over night or even in 30 days.
Karl
 
dion said:
What car are they dinging you on, Karl?
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Hey Dion. The Fiat. It's a long story which also involved a canopy I had. The code guy saw that first and then noticed the Fiat under it. I had to take the canopy down because it encroached in the so called 5 foot setback space. He said I had to keep 5 feet clear from the property line for access. I looked it up and it's only for privacy which is sort of moot since we all have fences/walls between our properties. But the damage was done so now I'm stuck with either getting the code changed or I'll have to get rid of the car or get fined. The guy also said I couldn't use my RV parking space next to my garage because any vehicle in it would also encroach in that setback space. That's where the canopy and Fiat is/was. I like how these guys make stuff up as they go. :nonono:
Karl
 
Big Jim said:
They didn't care about it being modified or about any possible smog implications, only that in LA County, NOS is a controlled substance.
Click to expand...


:eek:

****. I was wondering about that.....

Anyone else know where I can reference nitrous laws for CA? Y'know, just in case?
 
A follow up on my ordeal. I put feelers out on various user groups and got a reply from a L.A. County sheriff who said the there was indeed an exception in the code book and that the code enforcer guy needed the book shoved where the sun doesn't shine. I found the reference which allows non ops to be kept in your garage, out of sight. I'd still like to get the code amended to allow for at least two non ops (one could be a parts car) as long as they were out of sight either behind gates or in the garage. These code enforcement guys seem to play a game that they think you will take them at their word, as though they were experts on the rules and that hopefully you won't bother to take the initiative find out the truth.
Karl
 
98SVTC said:
... I found the reference which allows non ops to be kept in your garage, out of sight. I'd still like to get the code amended to allow for at least two non ops (one could be a parts car) as long as they were out of sight either behind gates or in the garage. ..
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If they are out of sight, in a garage, are they allowed to come in without your permission? "No, sir, I only have one non-operating car" or "No, sir, I do not have any non-operating cars". I would assume that they would have to get a search warrant to come into your property without your permission.
 
I was told they'd need a search warrant to look into the garage although there are times when I like to have the door open and I suppose all the county guy would have to do is drive by one of those times when the door is up. It's a moot point if the code says I'm legal doing this but I'd still like to be able to have the option of keeping one of them behind gates instead of in the garage.
Karl
 
"I suppose all the county guy would have to do is drive by one of those times"

Man, I remember a CEGer previously posting about California being a "fascist state" but I thought he/she was kidding in that post. :crazy: And that had something to do with not being able to pass an inspection.:laugh:
 
Tony2005 said:
"I suppose all the county guy would have to do is drive by one of those times"

Man, I remember a CEGer previously posting about California being a "fascist state" but I thought he/she was kidding in that post. :crazy: And that had something to do with not being able to pass an inspection.:laugh:
Click to expand...


Its not california in this case, But Los Angeles County in southern california.
 
Tony2005 said:
Man, I remember a CEGer previously posting about California being a "fascist state" but I thought he/she was kidding in that post.
Click to expand...
Well, since I retired from my job last November I have been looking for a more favorable state to move to preferably totally the opposite of what California is or more to the point, what it has become.
Karl
 
Matty K said:
Don't even get me started.



....Still, I'm happy now in my northeast quadrant. FAR less cops.
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btw matt, some guys from the county stopped by john's house today. they said if youre car isnt removed from the property by wednesday theyre going to have it towed and crushed. just some fyi.
 
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