# Warning for parking boat in own driveway?



## britton1989 (Feb 14, 2010)

I got a warning from city for parking boat in my dads driveway! Never heard of this nor can I locate the code saying I can't park it there.. It was left on my dads door an haven't looked at it yet... Is there a way around this? Can I just move it to beside house or back yard? Don't seem right that they can tell me where to park my boat on my dads owned private property?


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## hearttxp (Dec 21, 2004)

britton1989 said:


> I got a warning from city for parking boat in my dads driveway! Never heard of this nor can I locate the code saying I can't park it there.. It was left on my dads door an haven't looked at it yet... Is there a way around this? Can I just move it to beside house or back yard? Don't seem right that they can tell me where to park my boat on my dads owned private property?


Many cities have that ! Sometimes it is okay if it cannot be seen from the street ? Call your city and ask what the law is in your area


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## FAB (May 26, 2013)

Some cities have a building code that states all recreational vehicles must be parked behind the front set back of the house. If your city is that way, yes you would be okay beside the house just so the rig is behind the front plane of the house. I live in Vermilion and I have to keep my boat on the side and behind the front of house. Same with travel trailers or anything else other than automobiles.


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## brent k (Nov 10, 2013)

Id be mad as he$$ ive never heard of this. However im not suprised. I believe if one owns property he has rights to park what he wants on it. As long as it doesnt turn into a junk yard i guess. Some b.s. right there


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

If it's parked in front of the setback (basically in front of the house) within Columbus, it is a zoning code violation. Max penalty is 1st degree misdemeanor. Where is it located generally? Just curious....

Here's the code:

3312.35 - Prohibited parking. 
A.
In residential districts, no required off-street parking space, no parking space in front of the setback line, and no required front, side or rear yard area or unimproved surface shall be used for the parking or storage of a boat, trailer, camping trailer or other recreational vehicle.

https://www.municode.com/library/oh...es?nodeId=TIT33ZOCO_CH3312OREPALO_3312.35PRPA


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## chadwimc (Jun 27, 2007)

Its a legitimate way to stop you from starting your own boat junk yard in a residential area. Everybody has the same excuse "I'm gonna fix it this weekend/month/year/lifetime..."


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## spikeg79 (Jun 11, 2012)

britton1989 said:


> I got a warning from city for parking boat in my dads driveway! Never heard of this nor can I locate the code saying I can't park it there.. It was left on my dads door an haven't looked at it yet... Is there a way around this? Can I just move it to beside house or back yard? Don't seem right that they can tell me where to park my boat on my dads owned private property?


Wouldn't doubt your dad has some nosy neighbor that makes everybody's business their's.


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## britton1989 (Feb 14, 2010)

That is the code section that was mentioned.. It mentions it cannot be beyond front of house, then it sAys it cannot be on side or in backyard... So why wouldn't it just say not at all on property? I'm calling tomorrow.. I know who it is that called.. I'm like 95 percent sure.. It's located near frank an gantz road.. I understand the reason but I don't have a junk yard.. It's one boat that runs an looks nice I think.. The sad part is it's the old lady that's part of the block watch an takes part in neighborhood meetings.. But she's really nosy, like I'll be out working on my jeep an ill look at her house an through the blinds that are just barely cracked I see her outline because she's skylines by her kitchen lights, she was there for 30 minutes one day.. but anyways I cut her grass an plow her snow for free some people are just trying to be a pain in the rear.. I though about taking my boat an hooking it up to my spare truck an park it in front of her house, but I don't wanna be a prick..


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

britton1989 said:


> That is the code section that was mentioned.. It mentions it cannot be beyond front of house, then it sAys it cannot be on side or in backyard... So why wouldn't it just say not at all on property? I'm calling tomorrow.. I know who it is that called.. I'm like 95 percent sure.. It's located near frank an gantz road.. I understand the reason but I don't have a junk yard.. It's one boat that runs an looks nice I think.. The sad part is it's the old lady that's part of the block watch an takes part in neighborhood meetings.. But she's really nosy, like I'll be out working on my jeep an ill look at her house an through the blinds that are just barely cracked I see her outline because she's skylines by her kitchen lights, she was there for 30 minutes one day.. but anyways I cut her grass an plow her snow for free some people are just trying to be a pain in the rear.. I though about taking my boat an hooking it up to my spare truck an park it in front of her house, but I don't wanna be a prick..


You can sometimes get an approved parking pad in the backyard. Can you get it back there? I would call the zoning counter if you are interested. 614-645-8637.


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## I Fish (Sep 24, 2008)

This is quite common and becoming more so. I'll say this, just be thankful it's the city code office and not a Homeowner's Association!


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## canoe carp killer (Apr 2, 2014)

My home owners association won't allow me to park a boat either. Got a letter saying my trash can has to be kept in the garage and not beside it. Told me I had nine days to move it or be fined lol.


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## Lundy (Apr 5, 2004)

britton1989,

The old lady in your neighborhood didn't write that ordinance or vote for it's passage. It has most likely been around since long before you were born.

These city ordinances exist in most cities, towns and bergs. they can pretty much tell the home/landowner what they can and can not do on their property. What kind and size fence or deck, swimming pool, what color you can paint your home, if you can have a garage or how big, a shed or not, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Most cities are real picky about what can be put in the front yard. They only want to see grass and flowers. Pretty soon, they will require mandatory spraying for dandelions! If they do that, I'll tell them it's farmland and eat the dandelions right in front of them!

I just went a few rounds with a zoning guy about building a light post close to the road to see the driveway at night. I was proposing to put the post 3' outside the public right of way line for the road. He said that I had to stay an additional 10' from that line because the road had a wider thouroughfare right of way, or he would charge me $50 for a permit and inspection. The reason for the inspection was to make sure I wasn't doing any damage to the street. The electric for the light post was coming from the house, so the trench was away from the road. I questioned this thouroughfare right of way. Turns out it is a fictional line on a master plan for the future development/widening of the roadway. The road maintenance department, who inspects any work done in the right of way didn't see any reason to inspect my work since it was outside the public right of way, but the zoning guy was insistent on me getting a permit and paying $50. They had no regulations in the book about light posts at all. I ended up having to go up the ladder above him to the Service director to get the fee waved! Then, I made sure to put my light post at least 3' behind the public right of way line so there were no questions later!

I respect what these zoning regs do, but sometimes they go overboard. I personally don't see any problem with a boat in the front driveway. Gotta check before you do something or you may have to pay extra to remove it later!


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

Meanwhile at the townhouse where Linda used to live, there was a dead Cadillac and a dead Ram 1500 in the driveway, neither of them moved for years, they just leaked fluids and blocked the front door. All legal.


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## spikeg79 (Jun 11, 2012)

Lundy said:


> britton1989,
> 
> The old lady in your neighborhood didn't write that ordinance or vote for it's passage. It has most likely been around since long before you were born.
> 
> These city ordinances exist in most cities, towns and bergs. they can pretty much tell the home/landowner what they can and can not do on their property. What kind and size fence or deck, swimming pool, what color you can paint your home, if you can have a garage or how big, a shed or not, etc, etc, etc, etc, etc.


True but some cities/towns let bygones be bygones till someone complains.


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## EnonEye (Apr 13, 2011)

spikeg79 said:


> Wouldn't doubt your dad has some nosy neighbor that makes everybody's business their's.


Exactly. My property requires boats, RV's, etc. be parked in the back 1/3 of the property. Years ago the realtor of the lady I bought the land from stopped on an Easter Sunday and told me I couldn't have it parked in the driveway out front. I asked her if she didn't have anything better to do on Easter Sunday. My boat's still there in the driveway from spring until the rains stop during the summer and then I move it to the back.


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## OrangeMilk (Oct 13, 2012)

Lucky Me, I put my boat in the back yard from day one. Driveway ended at the fence, turned that section of fence into a gate and backed her on up in there.

I have a utility easement at the back end of my proerty, so just like bdawg, it has an extra 3' of right of way, so my fence is 3' short of being to the edge of my yard. So I lose 3' of yard. And if I ever get a bigger boat I may need that 3'.

We have an ordanance that there can be no structure withing like 25' of the road so all the houses on my street sit way back from the road, I REALLY like the way the neighborhood looks becasue of this, one of the reasons we bough the house.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

FOSR said:


> Meanwhile at the townhouse where Linda used to live, there was a dead Cadillac and a dead Ram 1500 in the driveway, neither of them moved for years, they just leaked fluids and blocked the front door. All legal.


If the vehicles are dead or have expired tags, they are probably inoperable. This is also a violation of the Cbus Zoning Code. Call it in to 311....


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

She's out of there so it's a moot point. But it was obnoxious to have to walk through the front garden to get around the Caddy. One of the last times they ran that car (with the windshield spidered from the passenger's head) they hit the back of the truck had enough to bend the bumper and bounce the truck about 18 inches forward. The Caddy REEKED of leaking gasoline.

But they weren't recreational vehicles so they could sit there.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

FOSR said:


> She's out of there so it's a moot point. But it was obnoxious to have to walk through the front garden to get around the Caddy. One of the last times they ran that car (with the windshield spidered from the passenger's head) they hit the back of the truck had enough to bend the bumper and bounce the truck about 18 inches forward. The Caddy REEKED of leaking gasoline.
> 
> But they weren't recreational vehicles so they could sit there.


3312.37 covers inoperable vehicles for future reference. Not sure if they were technically inoperable or not.

"For purposes of this section, a motor vehicle shall be deemed inoperable when any of the following conditions exist: one or more wheels are missing; one or more tires are missing; two or more tires are flat; one or more windows are missing or broken; the windshield is shattered or missing; parts necessary for the operation of the vehicle are missing; or a license with a distinctive number and valid for the current year is not displayed thereon."

The "parts necessary for the operation of the vehicle" cover if it's missing a motor, radiator, or anything necessary for it to operate. Sometimes hard to prove.


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## FOSR (Apr 16, 2008)

Yep they met several of those criteria. But I didn't want to start a pissing war. A place across the street had some big pieces of scrap wood and a half-dead trailer. For a while there was a dead truck, too.

A few years ago, my neighbor's son left his inactive full-size van parked in front of their house so it was always causing a blind spot when we would pull out of the driveway. Valid tags, legal sitting there, and a PITA.


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## ducman491 (Oct 31, 2011)

I just bought a 16ft boat that barely fits in my garage. It's been in the driveway for 3 days while we clean out the attic and stage things in the garage to be thrown away. I'm just waiting for my A-hole neighbor to come over and say something.


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## icebucketjohn (Dec 22, 2005)

*Meddling Govt Breaucracy*.. _they have to justify their jobs_ otherwise, they wouldnt have a job to do.


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## britton1989 (Feb 14, 2010)

The city guy told us that one of three neighbors called, an one next to me got a violation also.. That leaves 2... The old lady an a young couple that I don't think they would call.. They are new... O well guess I got to move it...


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## spikeg79 (Jun 11, 2012)

could be worse. Neighborhood behind my dad's house had a cop move in about a decade ago and for the few years he lived their he made some of his neighbors miserable by giving them so many citations.


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## Bonecrusher (Aug 7, 2010)

I've got the same thing with the city and a homeowners association plus a nosey city cop and his wife that live within site of my house. I leave my boat hooked to my truck and it can sit for a month. As long as they are combined neither one can say a word. If I do have to disconnect it I know I have about 5 minutes before I get a text or a facebook message.


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## bdawg (Apr 14, 2009)

Bonecrusher said:


> I've got the same thing with the city and a homeowners association plus a nosey city cop and his wife that live within site of my house. I leave my boat hooked to my truck and it can sit for a month. As long as they are combined neither one can say a word. If I do have to disconnect it I know I have about 5 minutes before I get a text or a facebook message.


That's pretty messed up! I would give you at least a week before saying anything IF I was going to say anything at all!


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