It is illegal to do major repairs on your car in your garage in Sacramento County

NorseDave said:

Mndsm said:

In reply to Shadeux :

You might be on to something with that. Assuming it is actually illegal to work on a car in Sacramento county as your own mechanic- I would think that there would have to be some sort of disclaimer when selling things that are obviously used for such endeavours- Floor jacks and air compressors and you know- tools not found in the typical home garage. Couple that with the fact that auto parts stores generally sell you know- auto parts.... If they're not checking for proper licensure to operate a torque wrench, it could be a bad time. 

I'd think Harbor Freight would have something to say about this too, and their HQ is in CA. 

I did contact SEMA about this, an individual business isn't going to do anything, it needs to be a business association, is there one for auto tools in general?

It is illegal to own automotive tools because that how the law is written.

In reply to nimblemotorsports :

Well, I mean in addition to doing stuff that I already suggested you could take the very petty route like I did with my one run in with code enforcement where I made her cry....

Just wait for your neighbor to do something which violates code then call up code enforcement and demand that they take care of the problem. In my case that was leaving a 20 minute message (which was oddly not time restricted) with every single make, model, color and license plate of every street parked car, then berating the code enforcement officer when she called me back, accusing her of age discrimination and failure to enforce the law equally (despite evidence I gave of the violation), until she broke down.

I also know where you can buy airplanes without airworthiness certificates to park in the lawn.... Since they're not covered by the law all your tools could be "Aircraft" tools.

I'd still opt for restoring antique sirens and testing them at 9pm though.

nimblemotorsports said:

NorseDave said:

Mndsm said:

In reply to Shadeux :

You might be on to something with that. Assuming it is actually illegal to work on a car in Sacramento county as your own mechanic- I would think that there would have to be some sort of disclaimer when selling things that are obviously used for such endeavours- Floor jacks and air compressors and you know- tools not found in the typical home garage. Couple that with the fact that auto parts stores generally sell you know- auto parts.... If they're not checking for proper licensure to operate a torque wrench, it could be a bad time. 

I'd think Harbor Freight would have something to say about this too, and their HQ is in CA. 

I did contact SEMA about this, an individual business isn't going to do anything, it needs to be a business association, is there one for auto tools in general?

It is illegal to own automotive tools because that how the law is written.

It looks like you can own them.  You just can't use them.

Gov't over-reach at it's best. No thank you.

In reply to nimblemotorsports :

I guess I see a lot of venting on this thread but I am curious have you contacted any local officials yet? I have dealt with local governments and police in matters not urgent or emergency but sometimes controversial and find them to be relatively cool headed and open to discussion. You are a voter in the district and have a right to simply ask them their intent for the change of policy. If they are open to stating it is to stop illegal dumping of oils and waste into storm drains plus reducing grey market business from occurring then you have some room to document that you are responsible, recycle your waste (showing documents proving such) and only work on your own stuff as a hobby not a business, documenting with photos of your cars and their registrations etc. Do they think the same if you had a woodshop and made your own furniture? How about glass blowing; can you do that in your backyard? What other hobbies are they regulating?

They might even know about your neighbor being a grumpy guss. 

At least then you have a good set of data to go into that review of the citation. To those that complain about the $700 fee for review, then vote for more local taxes to cover the costs to process the review. I don't know anyone that lives by working for free and neither should the "evil" government workers. I am a Fed and still get a laugh at how many people think I make more in the government than I did in the private sector. Nope it was a 25% pay cut. Even the benefits package isn't better, just more stable and secure. For me and my family the benefits are the priority. I went through three corporate takeovers and layoffs. In each case the strategy was to change our benefits to the worst they could to encourage people to leave. Which I did in one of the cases.

Anyhow back on point. Unless you live in some metropolis after you get yourself through this once and everyone in your local area is on your side as a good guy you will probably not get another citation.

All that being said if the actual goal of the policy is to simply not allow anyone to work on their cars just because they don't understand it and so just want it to go away then you have a hard fight. 

As an aside in one locality I lived in they sent out a message asking us to not wash our cars then sent another a month or so later stating that they would cite anyone the was found washing their cars at home! Well after talking about it they let me know that the real estate boom was resulting in more sanitary and storm drains than they could handle at the water treatment site. The car wash ban was only temporary for about two years (something they forgot to say) as something was going on at the sanitation site that they had to fix over a two year contract. Then they could handle the increased volume. Turns out someone sued and a judge stopped the locality from expanding the sanitation site earlier as it would distract from sales angle of the low cost of water and sewage of the very same real estate boom houses. 

Man, I'd be screwed.  Most people don't have a 4 post lift in their garage and I've done far more than brake jobs and oil changes with it.

I note that the ordinance includes agricultural zones. How much agriculture is left in county? If a lot, you have a serious ally to our cause with the farmers who are not permitted to repair their machinery.

wae said:

nimblemotorsports said:

NorseDave said:

Mndsm said:

In reply to Shadeux :

You might be on to something with that. Assuming it is actually illegal to work on a car in Sacramento county as your own mechanic- I would think that there would have to be some sort of disclaimer when selling things that are obviously used for such endeavours- Floor jacks and air compressors and you know- tools not found in the typical home garage. Couple that with the fact that auto parts stores generally sell you know- auto parts.... If they're not checking for proper licensure to operate a torque wrench, it could be a bad time. 

I'd think Harbor Freight would have something to say about this too, and their HQ is in CA. 

I did contact SEMA about this, an individual business isn't going to do anything, it needs to be a business association, is there one for auto tools in general?

It is illegal to own automotive tools because that how the law is written.

It looks like you can own them.  You just can't use them.

I can own a bong, I just can't smoke weed out of it- at least in florida. And I can't call it a bong. I know the game well. Sort of like "offroad purposes only" and "display only" . 

wae said:

It looks like you can own them.  You just can't use them.

Nope, just OWNING them means they can cite you for doing Major Repairs.  They do not need ANY evidence that you have actually done any repairs.  That is what the law says.

Mndsm said:

wae said:

nimblemotorsports said:

NorseDave said:

Mndsm said:

In reply to Shadeux :

You might be on to something with that. Assuming it is actually illegal to work on a car in Sacramento county as your own mechanic- I would think that there would have to be some sort of disclaimer when selling things that are obviously used for such endeavours- Floor jacks and air compressors and you know- tools not found in the typical home garage. Couple that with the fact that auto parts stores generally sell you know- auto parts.... If they're not checking for proper licensure to operate a torque wrench, it could be a bad time. 

I'd think Harbor Freight would have something to say about this too, and their HQ is in CA. 

I did contact SEMA about this, an individual business isn't going to do anything, it needs to be a business association, is there one for auto tools in general?

It is illegal to own automotive tools because that how the law is written.

It looks like you can own them.  You just can't use them.

I can own a bong, I just can't smoke weed out of it- at least in florida. And I can't call it a bong. I know the game well. Sort of like "offroad purposes only" and "display only" . 

You also can't set off most of the fireworks in your backyard that are sold here in FL except sparklers, fountains, snakes, and glow worms. All the roman candles, rockets, explosives, and aerial displays require permits to shoot off unless you're on a farm, fish hatchery etc. and use them to scare off animals. It's in the waiver you sign when buying the fireworks.

nimblemotorsports said:

I did contact SEMA about this, an individual business isn't going to do anything, it needs to be a business association, is there one for auto tools in general?

It is illegal to own automotive tools because that how the law is written.

Good first step, SEMA has connections to large corporations that sell products (parts and tools) to the people who would be affected by this. Next step would be to personally write to the big companies who sell automotive parts and tools in your area – NAPA, AutoZone, Harbor Freight etc.

Tell them who you are (a typical buyer of their products) and that if this reg (and others like it around CA etc) is allowed to stand there would be no reason for you and others to be a customer of theirs. Be factual, reasonable and not overly opinionated, stick to the point. The same goes for anyone else who has the same/similar regulatory issues.

FWIW, if you do that and need help let me know. I do things like this as part of my living.

You also need to find out the factual background on this reg. What was the intent/purpose? Laws are often poorly written, worded or amended creating unintended consequences. Who was behind it? Not just which law maker but who backed it and why. Which supervisors (since it is a county reg) voted for/against it? With this info you can decide who in the county may be behind or against you.

docwyte said:

Man, I'd be screwed.  Most people don't have a 4 post lift in their garage and I've done far more than brake jobs and oil changes with it.

I'm thinking this is a parking device to increase capacity of your garage so there's less cars outside, not a tool.

NOT A TA said:

docwyte said:

Man, I'd be screwed.  Most people don't have a 4 post lift in their garage and I've done far more than brake jobs and oil changes with it.

I'm thinking this is a parking device to increase capacity of your garage so there's less cars outside, not a tool.

I was thinking it was a risk-reduction device, and they were putting you at unnecessary risk of injury by using a floor jack and jack stands?

sleepyhead the buffalo said:

NOT A TA said:

docwyte said:

Man, I'd be screwed.  Most people don't have a 4 post lift in their garage and I've done far more than brake jobs and oil changes with it.

I'm thinking this is a parking device to increase capacity of your garage so there's less cars outside, not a tool.

I was thinking it was a risk-reduction device, and they were putting you at unnecessary risk of injury by using a floor jack and jack stands?

Safety first!

Without pics this thread is worthless. 

Is your house neatly manicured and in keeping with the surroundings and you just happened to be doing some relatively in-depth work to your vehicle inside your garage with the door up?  Or is your house the quintessential "that guy"?  Are you a good neighbor; fixing bikes for the neighborhood kids, pulling codes on the guy across the streets car, maybe doing a quicky brake job or something for the person that is struggling a little bit?  Is the overhead door down when the sun goes down and compressors shut off at 8 or 9PM?  Or are you running your open header racecar at 10PM while your friends are torquing beers and doing burnouts?  

The "tit for tat" and "poop on someones yard" will not solve the problem.  Its gonna come down to relocation or tightening up your operation.  No one including myself wants to see some hillrod doing an engine swap in his driveway for 6 months.  

93gsxturbo said:

The "tit for tat" and "poop on someones yard" will not solve the problem. 

People hiding behind their keyboards can be really passive aggressive, or they think they're more clever than they really are.

I've been wondering as well just what kind of auto repairs were going on that precipitated this whole thing.

T.J. said:

In reply to _ :

Whenever I find poop in my front yard, I always put it out in the street.

Excrement! I mean... excellent!

I read that ruleset as a way of keeping people from running an unlicenced repair business in the back yard of their house.  Line 2, about people no currently resident of the home is kind of the clue there.  It seems likely you offended a neighbor, or just got an over zealous enforcement guy in the area.

I'd spend the dough to go to court.  I presume you could get a court date by just not paying the fine...

nimblemotorsports said:

wae said:

It looks like you can own them.  You just can't use them.

Nope, just OWNING them means they can cite you for doing Major Repairs.  They do not need ANY evidence that you have actually done any repairs.  That is what the law says.

Based on the wording of the regulation, wae is correct. It says (Sec 5.2.0.B.1) Using tools not normally found in a residence;  keywords being USING and RESIDENCE. A good attorney could negate most of this regulation by using their own wording against them. How do you perform a brake job, fix a flat tire, etc using only tools found in a residence, ie a house or personal abode? What is normal? How do they know? Did they conduct a survey? I know people who don't even own a hammer to hang pictures, while I could probably rebuild an engine with my "house tools".

If it is allowed but not possible, then is it valid?

Of course, the flip side is that they could re-write the regs so strict that you can't even have a popsicle outside without the popsicle cop citing you for contaminating the ground water. Cue Johnny Fever.

In reply to Apexcarver :

which is a crock of course meant to dissuade. 

Set up a go-fund me thingy then.

How public records already paid for have to be paid for again is nonsense.

Of course that SacBee article about how hard it is to get the first payment of the government pension going should tell you a lot about this particular county.

Finally unless the fees are egregious $700 for the other fee ( which will be a waste ) should buy you a lot of FOIAs.   

The tool aspect could be argued based on where you can purchase the tools.

if you can get them at Home Depot, Sears, Walmart, harbor freight or any of the box stores where your average consumer could purchase them then it’s reasonable to expect to find them in a residence. 

If you have to go to an industrial supplier, or direct to the manufacturer, then it may be a harder argument. You probably won’t find a lift at your local box store.

Of course some items will be in a grey area, like engine hoists and engine stands.

You can get them at parts stores, but swapping engines is probably hard to argue as a minor repair. Even if it is potentially less harmful to the environment than someone using a tired engine that burned oil, or doing a pad swap using chlorinated brake cleaner, or spilling used oil on their driveway.

Streetwiseguy said:

I read that ruleset as a way of keeping people from running an unlicenced repair business in the back yard of their house.  Line 2, about people no currently resident of the home is kind of the clue there.  It seems likely you offended a neighbor, or just got an over zealous enforcement guy in the area.

I'd spend the dough to go to court.  I presume you could get a court date by just not paying the fine...

That's completely what the intent of the law is, and I don't disagree with it on principle. Running repair shops which are not setup with capture points for fluids to avoid ground water contaimination is a major issue.

The issue here is that code enforcement, at least from the info given, is demanding that OP prove his innocence and he has to do it by ponying up 50% more than the fine as well as navigate an extra-judicial system as the hearing seems to be more of an arbitration within the city government from what I can tell.

That's pretty berkeleyed.

I am sure there are some old car clubs in the area ,  call them and ask what they know or is there any lawsuits being planned against this rule . 

its better  to work with a group if possible

californiamilleghia said:

I am sure there are some old car clubs in the area ,  call them and ask what they know or is there any lawsuits being planned against this rule . 

its better  to work with a group if possible

Yes, add to that the autoX and roadrace community in Northern California.

Regarding the discussion of whether this regulation applies to, or is intended to restrict people from operating an auto repair business. Those regulations already exist they are generally referred to as zoning ordinances.

Telling people what tools (especially those that are relatively common) they can or cannot own and/or where they may or may not keep them and how them use them is outside the general scope of these types of regulations.