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Gearheadotaku
Gearheadotaku GRM+ Memberand Dork
3/29/10 2:42 p.m.

Sadly, most city ordinances are written by happy shiny folks who go to the dealer to have a light bulb replaced. Working on a car at home shows that you must be some sort of knuckle dragger who will only bring down their property value and keep them up at night with all that noise. 99% of the car guys out there are clean and responsible, too bad the 1% that are slobs ruined it for the rest of use and caused rules like this to be put in place. Where I live, you may run nearly any type of buiness out of your home, except selling / repairing cars. Daycare with 50 screaming kids? ok. Kennel with 100 barking dogs? No sweat. A car in your driveway with a for sale sign? Here's your fine...

96DXCivic
96DXCivic Dork
3/29/10 2:44 p.m.

Tell them to go berkeley them selves that is what I do.

kcmoken
kcmoken New Reader
3/29/10 2:48 p.m.

As someone who recently got off probation for a misdemeanor due to one of my neighbors, I would just let it die down. I figured out which neighbor it was. But I also used this as an opportunity to get to know some of my other neighbors and talk to them. Prior to this, I was just some random homeowner. Once they put a face to me, I found the issues have gone away. When this escalated last time, the prosecutor verified the complaint with some of my adjacent neighbors - next time that won't happen as at least some of them actually like me and come over to my house to drink my beer. I am the good neighbor here, not the menace.

kpm
kpm New Reader
3/29/10 2:55 p.m.
4cylndrfury wrote: When all else fails, play Van Halen's Panama as high as you can as deep into the night as legally allowed. If you have good ear plugs, they will surrender before you do

I find VH Hot for Teacher much more annoying. YMMV.

Johnboyjjb
Johnboyjjb New Reader
3/29/10 3:04 p.m.

Here you go - good luck Sec. 36-2.30. Storage and repair of vehicles. e. The repair, restoration, and maintenance of vehicles in any residential district, when such work is not conducted entirely within the interior of the vehicle, shall be subject to the following limitations: 1. Procedures exceeding 48 hours in duration or which require the vehicle to be immobile or inoperable in excess of 48 hours shall be carried out within an enclosed building. 2. Inoperable vehicles and vehicle parts shall be stored inside an enclosed building. f. The outdoor storage of inoperable and/or unregistered vehicles shall be prohibited, as regulated in Chapter 19 Nuisances of the City of Fenton Code of Ordinances.

You presumably do not meet any of these definitions: Automobile or vehicle dealership: A building or premises used primarily for the sale of new and used automobiles and other motor vehicles such as motorcycles, boats, and recreational vehicles. Such a dealership may include outdoor display and accessory indoor maintenance and repair.

Automobile repair establishment (major repair): An automotive repair establishment which may conduct, in addition to activities defined below as "minor repairs," one or more of the following: general repair, engine rebuilding, rebuilding or reconditioning of motor vehicles, collision service, such as body, frame, or fender straightening and repair; overall painting and undercoating of automobiles, major overhauling of engine requiring removal of cylinder-head or crank case pan, recapping or retreading of tires, steam cleaning and similar activities.

Automobile service establishments (routine maintenance and minor repair): A building or premises used primarily to provide general maintenance on automobiles such as oil changes and lubrication; servicing and repair of spark plugs, batteries, pumps, belts, hoses, air filters, windshield wipers and distributors; replacement of mufflers and exhaust systems, brakes and shock absorbers; radiator cleaning and flushing; sale and installation of automobile accessories such as tires, radios and air conditioners; wheel alignment, balancing and undercoating; but excluding tire recapping or grooving or any major mechanical repairs, collision work, or painting. An automobile maintenance/service establishment may also sell gasoline, but is distinct from an automobile gasoline station.

Chris_V
Chris_V SuperDork
3/29/10 3:16 p.m.
Gearheadotaku wrote: Working on a car at home shows that you must be some sort of knuckle dragger who will only bring down their property value and keep them up at night with all that noise.

Always loved that property value crap. In the last decade, property values everywhere were going up no matter what condition the property (or neighbors property) was in. At least, a few vehicles that could be removed at any time didn't stop that iincrease. Then, the crash came, and no amount of celan, gated, HOA neighborhoods stopped the decrease in value.

Jake
Jake HalfDork
3/29/10 3:37 p.m.

Eh. Lay low. No point in making a scene, writing letters, etc.- that just makes you more visible. Just stay on the bright and sunny side of the law in all other regards, and make sure that whatever activities you may or may not engage in are done within an enclosed garage, within the hours where you're not violating any noise ordinances, so as not to provide that same neighbor with any kind of evidence that you're doing anything but exactly what you should be.

I'm pissed on your behalf.

sachilles
sachilles HalfDork
3/29/10 3:39 p.m.

Move.

Or put a big Don't tread on my flag on the roof of your garage.

City living just isn't worth it.

Wally
Wally GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/29/10 3:44 p.m.

That's why i'm glad that casa de fatguy has no close neighbors and is zoned industrial.

DrBoost
DrBoost Dork
3/29/10 3:55 p.m.
Johnboyjjb wrote: Here you go - good luck Sec. 36-2.30. Storage and repair of vehicles. e. The repair, restoration, and maintenance of vehicles in any residential district, when such work is not conducted entirely within the interior of the vehicle, shall be subject to the following limitations: 1. Procedures exceeding 48 hours in duration or which require the vehicle to be immobile or inoperable in excess of 48 hours shall be carried out within an enclosed building. 2. Inoperable vehicles and vehicle parts shall be stored inside an enclosed building. f. The outdoor storage of inoperable and/or unregistered vehicles shall be prohibited, as regulated in Chapter 19 Nuisances of the City of Fenton Code of Ordinances. You presumably do not meet any of these definitions: Automobile or vehicle dealership: A building or premises used primarily for the sale of new and used automobiles and other motor vehicles such as motorcycles, boats, and recreational vehicles. Such a dealership may include outdoor display and accessory indoor maintenance and repair. Automobile repair establishment (major repair): An automotive repair establishment which may conduct, in addition to activities defined below as "minor repairs," one or more of the following: general repair, engine rebuilding, rebuilding or reconditioning of motor vehicles, collision service, such as body, frame, or fender straightening and repair; overall painting and undercoating of automobiles, major overhauling of engine requiring removal of cylinder-head or crank case pan, recapping or retreading of tires, steam cleaning and similar activities. Automobile service establishments (routine maintenance and minor repair): A building or premises used primarily to provide general maintenance on automobiles such as oil changes and lubrication; servicing and repair of spark plugs, batteries, pumps, belts, hoses, air filters, windshield wipers and distributors; replacement of mufflers and exhaust systems, brakes and shock absorbers; radiator cleaning and flushing; sale and installation of automobile accessories such as tires, radios and air conditioners; wheel alignment, balancing and undercoating; but excluding tire recapping or grooving or any major mechanical repairs, collision work, or painting. An automobile maintenance/service establishment may also sell gasoline, but is distinct from an automobile gasoline station.

Alright, promote Johnboy to super-ultra dork status as of now. You are my hero. How the heck did you find that? I looked, did every search I could come up with and couldn't find it. Were you able to find anything about "you can't work on any vehicle but yours, no friends or family" as was stated to me?

Johnboyjjb
Johnboyjjb New Reader
3/29/10 4:09 p.m.

You can keep plugging through the online code but the closest I came up with is the definition of service establishment. The qualifier there is "primarily", which it isn't. Doesn't begin to imply I'm right but the link has the entire Fenton MI city code as of one month ago. That doesn't include any county or state codes or HOA violations. But, I believe, a code enforcement official cannot enforce a code from a higher government unless the city has specifically adopted that code. Wouldn't stick my neck out on that one though.

Sec. 36-19.02. General requirements. d. Storage and repair. The use of required parking and loading areas for the material storage, refuse storage stations/dumpsters, storage or display of vehicles and/or merchandise, or for vehicle or machinery repair or maintenance is expressly prohibited. (This section of code is very unclear about when this statement applies. It could apply to apartments, parking lots, or a lot of other things)

I don't think this applies.

kcmoken
kcmoken New Reader
3/29/10 4:16 p.m.
kpm wrote:
4cylndrfury wrote: When all else fails, play Van Halen's Panama as high as you can as deep into the night as legally allowed. If you have good ear plugs, they will surrender before you do
I find VH Hot for Teacher much more annoying. YMMV.

If you are trying to upset the neighbors with music, Tenacious D will be more effective than just about anything else. Don't look up the lyrics from your work computer...

WilD
WilD Reader
3/29/10 4:25 p.m.
kcmoken wrote: As someone who recently got off probation for a misdemeanor due to one of my neighbors, I would just let it die down. I figured out which neighbor it was. But I also used this as an opportunity to get to know some of my other neighbors and talk to them. Prior to this, I was just some random homeowner. Once they put a face to me, I found the issues have gone away. When this escalated last time, the prosecutor verified the complaint with some of my adjacent neighbors - next time that won't happen as at least some of them actually like me and come over to my house to drink my beer. I am the good neighbor here, not the menace.

I am veruy curious to hear your story as its hard to imagine a neighbor complaint leading to that type of scenario unless you made a habbit of beating your wife in your front yard or were running a dog fighting ring.

96DXCivic
96DXCivic Dork
3/29/10 4:27 p.m.
kcmoken wrote:
kpm wrote:
4cylndrfury wrote: When all else fails, play Van Halen's Panama as high as you can as deep into the night as legally allowed. If you have good ear plugs, they will surrender before you do
I find VH Hot for Teacher much more annoying. YMMV.
If you are trying to upset the neighbors with music, Tenacious D will be more effective than just about anything else. Don't look up the lyrics from your work computer...

Or Afroman. I also like Turbonegro for that purpose too esp their song Blow Me Like The Wind.

GI_Drewsifer
GI_Drewsifer Reader
3/29/10 11:04 p.m.

Look up "Children of Bodum" , "As Blood Runs Black", or "Eluveitie". Really nasty trash metal. It'll have screaming for mercy!

But seriously what I would do, is talk to your neighbors. Not in a confrontational type of way, but as "Hey I hope there's no problem here". I doubt anyone will fess up, but maybe you can reach an understanding with everyone.

SkinnyG
SkinnyG Reader
3/30/10 12:41 a.m.
kcmoken wrote: If you are trying to upset the neighbors with music, Tenacious D will be more effective than just about anything else.

I have two full CD's of bagpipe music. Don't make me play them.

BoxheadTim
BoxheadTim GRM+ Memberand Dork
3/30/10 6:57 a.m.
SkinnyG wrote:
kcmoken wrote: If you are trying to upset the neighbors with music, Tenacious D will be more effective than just about anything else.
I have two full CD's of bagpipe music. Don't make me play them.

Now that meets the definition of "cruel and usual punishment".

kcmoken
kcmoken New Reader
3/30/10 7:21 a.m.

In reply to WilD:

Violating the noise ordinance. Much of the complaint was fabricated, but a couple of neighbors backed it up. My lawyer got it reduced to no fine, court costs, and one year probation if I pled guilty. Sometimes its just easier to accept the plea deal, the lawyer gets paid either way. With the plea deal, she got paid much less and court costs were ~$28.

Since then, I have introduced myself to the neighbors, talk to them periodically, invite them over to my house (I was the "new guy" in the neighborhood), and send them Christmas cards. The neighbor that made the complaint hasn't accepted any of these invitations, and when I talked to her just a month or so back she still didn't know my name. This isn't the situation with the other neighbors I have reached out to.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker
Giant Purple Snorklewacker SuperDork
3/30/10 7:30 a.m.
BoxheadTim wrote:
SkinnyG wrote:
kcmoken wrote: If you are trying to upset the neighbors with music, Tenacious D will be more effective than just about anything else.
I have two full CD's of bagpipe music. Don't make me play them.
Now *that* meets the definition of "cruel and usual punishment".

Take it back. Bagpipes rule.

Now... a full CD of Norwegian Black Metal would upset everyone. Even cats. It kinda sounds like a guy with throat cancer trying to talk over a diesel washing machine.

Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=DnLxt-pGkJE

foxtrapper
foxtrapper SuperDork
3/30/10 7:49 a.m.

You never say what happened with the gent from the city dropping by. Did you get cited or did he go on his merry way? That has a big impact on what you should do next.

Let it be a lesson to you, that calling an office and getting an answer is usually not a good way to learn. That's about as clever as calling a police station and asking about laws. READ THE CODE BOOKS. I've been preaching it for years (to a vapid bunch who don't learn).

As one who works in government regulations, I can tell you that about the worse thing you can do is write the letter you've proposed. Does this phrase ring a bell? "anything you can can and will be used against you". Nothing is better than dumb things you write. I 100% guarantee it will be used against you, repeatedly.

If you're legal (and you likely are), go about your merry way, and eschew inserting used bugs up nether orifices.

924guy
924guy Dork
3/30/10 8:57 a.m.

you have not suitably intimidated your neighbors in the past, thus they believe they can now intimidate you through cowardly acts.

Apparently, you are not "the neighborhood crazy guy" or "that insane lunatic across the street" or even "the weird hippie guy." You are also Not "the guy with all the guns" or even "that crazy former special forces dude." Optimally, you should at least be "the guy with the dogs who sics them on the Jehovah's. " there is still hope for you though. You could become "the guy whos loosing his mind " fairly easily.

step one: allow your neighbors you "accidentally" see you with what they perceive as a large riffle. It doesn't actually have to be a large riffle, they just need to think it is, when you know they see you, make like your hiding it and don't want them to see you.

step two: at least twice a week, when you know said neighbor is with in hearing distance, yell and scream profanity, it is preferred to do this when the neighbor knows you are alone. do not yell at the neighbor or about the neighbor, just yell so he can hear you, at some invisible entity (yelling about aliens or ghosts can be particularly effective.) then when you know you have his attention, stop yelling, open the door and smile in his direction, a bit of froth from the mouth will add to the effect. repeat as necessary.

step three: leave the house at the same time as your neighbor, say hello politely then give him a very worried look and ask him if hes seen your dog (this is particularly effective if you do not have a dog) mutter something about hoping that he hasnt bitten anyone today for extra effect, then wonder off without saying goodbye, calling for said invisible dog.

step four: Dig a large hole in a place in your yard, where the neighbor can see. then fill it in, do this at night, during a full moon, mutter things like "i didn't mean too" and "you should have been nicer to me" while doing so. being seen pulling a large, plastic bag that appears to be very heavy and dumping it in the hole, can be particularly effective.

following the above step should pretty much prevent your neighbor from meddling with your vehicular activities in the future. Be prepared for a visit from the local constable as well, the hole in the yard should generate that visit if done correctly. However, since you have not violated any laws by digging the hole and filling it in in the middle of the night , it should not result in incarceration so long as you are "normal" to the police when they stop by, haven't actually buried a body, and don't have an illegal arsenal of weapons. if you do you may want to skip the final step.

if after all this your neighbor does not run when he sees you, you must move, however, these steps are generally effective and may even get the neighbor to move. Good luck, and may the appearance of mental instability be with you.

the writer takes no responsibility for any thing, if you end up in the nut house for factually following said advise, you probably deserve to be there..

John Brown
John Brown GRM+ Memberand SuperDork
3/30/10 9:45 a.m.

924, you forgot to add "Now, god damnit, I told you it would come to this if you didn't listen to me!" As you are swinging an axe in a partially shrouded area of your yard where you can be seen but your target can not be.

Gearheadotaku
Gearheadotaku GRM+ Memberand Dork
3/30/10 10:28 a.m.

Wish I had a yard...stupid condo...what was I thinking?

4cylndrfury
4cylndrfury SuperDork
3/30/10 10:32 a.m.
Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote:
BoxheadTim wrote:
SkinnyG wrote:
kcmoken wrote: If you are trying to upset the neighbors with music, Tenacious D will be more effective than just about anything else.
I have two full CD's of bagpipe music. Don't make me play them.
Now *that* meets the definition of "cruel and usual punishment".
Take it back. Bagpipes rule. Now... a full CD of Norwegian Black Metal would upset everyone. Even cats. It kinda sounds like a guy with throat cancer trying to talk over a diesel washing machine. Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=DnLxt-pGkJE

Hell yeah bagpipes rule, I used to deliver pizzas, and on St pats day, and often at random times I deemed fit, I would put in the bagpipes CD i burned, and let it rip windows down at full tilt (bagpipes gain quite a bit through 300 watts, a mono 10" sub and really good interior component speakers), and left it going as I walked up to the door. I was often met with smiles by the lucky pizza recipients who realized their large pie with mushrooms and sausage also came with a side order of zomgawesome at no extra charge.

4cylndrfury
4cylndrfury SuperDork
3/30/10 10:36 a.m.
96DXCivic wrote:
kcmoken wrote:
kpm wrote:
4cylndrfury wrote: When all else fails, play Van Halen's Panama as high as you can as deep into the night as legally allowed. If you have good ear plugs, they will surrender before you do
I find VH Hot for Teacher much more annoying. YMMV.
If you are trying to upset the neighbors with music, Tenacious D will be more effective than just about anything else. Don't look up the lyrics from your work computer...
Or Afroman. I also like Turbonegro for that purpose too esp their song Blow Me Like The Wind.

tribute to the greatest song in the world = 4 teh wyn

/thread

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