So I woke up this morning to the police and a tow-truck towing my boat for being parked out in front of my house for more than 72 hours. My neighbors called the police on me.. Has this ever happened to anyone else (in CA) Let me hear your story...

wow. did they even warn you at one time?

Seems like your neighbor could have been nice enough to ask you to move it before calling the police.

Did you normally leave your boat on the street?

yeah <BR> <BR>I had the cops come over because my stand up ski trailer, a 6 pack, was there for 1 night!!!! <BR> <BR>call the cops and ask who it was, LOL <BR> <BR>I found out, and the next time i saw them park on the street i called the cops!!!

Guessing you never had the neighbors out for a tow, fatal mistake, lol!

I know that parking on the street is a no no in San Jose, although if my boat just got towed, and I knew who it was and they didn't ask me...they would probably wish they hadn't called the cops?

My neighbors did that to me once. The cops came while my wife and I were at work. The cops called me and just asked me to move it by the next day. We were moving soon anyway so I didn't do anything crazy to the neighbor who called. I just started getting up at 5:30am on saturdays to mow my side yard next to his bedroom window.

our street is small so i understood when my neighbor was concerned about me leaving it out front...they def could have asked nicer but at least they asked before they called the cops haha. i dont leave it out there often but it is convenient when im going friday night/sat morning to the lake

Take a nice poop on their front porch with a nice thank you card.

steaming dog turds, 5 dollars worth of pennies scattered in their front yard, Free landscaping/shurbs/bushes ads on craigslist are a few things that come to mind.

Here is a funny one i was working on my boat stereo had it cranked real loud when i was finished i thought i turned it off but i just paused it so at 4:15am i hear guns an roses cranking in the middle of the nite out of 2 pro 80s when i get outside every neighbor on my block is outside or all there lights are on.

Towed?! <BR>...I was visiting a friend and had a my boat in front of their house for about a week, got a "warning" notice on my boat and it stated that in CA you couldn't leave anything parked in the same spot for more than 72 hours without moving it atleast 500 feet. The warning gave me 48 hours to move my boat or it "could be towed". <BR>They should have issued a warning citation prior to towing -do you live in a fancy neighborhood with special rules/regulations?

Packing peanuts are also great to distribute on a beautiful lawn. Takes a while to pick those up.

So what kind of HOA rules are at your place, Bryan? Time to get on the board &amp; get some changes made?

I had my boat parked on the street for about two hours once while I was doing some maintenance. A cop pulled up and warned me that it couldn't be there over night. He then proceeded to make me go in the house and bring him my driver's license so he could run it through the system to see if I had any warrants. WTF???? I live in a nice neighborhood and have never had any issues with the police or my neighbors. <BR> <BR>You never know, it may not have been your neighbors who called the police. It could have just been a dick head cop who noticed that your boat had been there for a couple of days.

How did they tow it? Did you have the swing arm turned and locked or any kind of wheel locks? If you are brave enough to park it on the streets, I would have at least some kind of anti theft on it. Making it hard to tow at least or keeping your vehicle parked in front of it detering people from hooking up to it. sucks man.

i paid a $250 fine for it. (parked on lot, beside driveway) <BR> <BR>finally cut the side fence and made a 12' gate. <BR>stays in the backyard now.

Yeah towing without warning was not the most neighborly way to get the boat off the street, but move on. Getting fired up about it will not get you anywhere.

Sure makes me glad I don't have these ridiculous rules to abide by where I live. <BR> <BR>That's retarded both on the neighbors part and the fact that it is a law.

I think I would have some choice words with my neighbor. I would at least talk with them and tell them your thoughts and let them know that there were better ways to deal with this situation.......Then I would wait tell 4th of July and light there F-in house on fire. Just kidding.

A little heads up from the neighbors would have been nice. Unless they've done it a dozen times already and you've ignored it,lol. <BR> <BR>But I always like the "paybacks are hell" tricks, like under cover of darkness, fertilize their yards 3-4 times this spring and summer so they have to mow every other day. Not that I would suggest you do anything like that. <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/uhoh.gif" border=0>

Hey in my neighborhood I am not allowed to have my boat in my driveway. I still do anyways for short periods of time during the summer since my neighbors are cool and they park their RV or boat in there driveway or street for 3 to 4 days at a time. It helps to have good neighbors. The house on fire thing was really just a joke..really.

My ex-partner received a ticket for leaving it in front of their house. I think it was $40. I believe the rule there is that the trailer must be attached to a vehicle.

Some good pranks to play on the neighbors you love, guys. Reminds me of a couple that were done in my own neighborhood. <BR> <BR>Round Up in the grass..... they drew a big bird (finger) in the green grass. Took a few weeks to grow back. <BR> <BR>The next guy pressure washed a giant smiley face in his neighbors wood fence. Encourage the owner to pressure wash the rest of the fence.

Clorox works even better on grass...probably TOO well. My buddy in high school was out for revenge on his ex GF and wrote HO in big 6' x 4' letters on her parents front lawn. Funny at the time, until he had to pay $300 to fix it. <BR> <BR>Either way, neighbors should be just that...neighborly. Ask first, you'll probably get a prompt response. But call the cops first, and the game is afoot.

take many rolls of gald wrap over and under the doors on there car, as tight as you can pull it over the roof, down the door and pass it to your buddy under the car to the other side. they will never get in in the morning before work, and it leaves no damage<IMG SRC="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/happy.gif" ALT=":-)" BORDER=0>

A couple more pranks. One is plastic forks stuck all in their yard, you have to pick them up one at a time (sucks too). The other is list their cars or something for sale (cheap!). They will get so sick of getting phone calls. We listed a friend's Z71 for sale for 1,500 one time. He got like 85 calls the first night alone.

My approach will prove to be the least popular, but here it is. Don't do it and you won't get caught. <BR> I was in my teens when I heard that the first time. 30's when it started to seem like a good idea. Not a sermon, just a thought.

The police wont tell you who called to complain, that is a crock of sh**. Yes it is the law in Cali. that it must be moved before 72 hours parked on the street in one place. Guy in my area has to move his every three days because we have someone who has to keep everybody within the laws. Whoever it is also calls when someone is burning in their fireplace on no burn days. Some people just have nothing better to do.

OMG! Those are funny and reminds me of my H.S. days when this guy tried to bully me and stoled my bike. So we called an tree cutting service to come and cut down a tree that had his tree house in it. We told the old guy that we would leave a check at his dads office once the job was complete. dumb ass old man ended up cutting down half the trees in the back yard before his mom arrived.

A bag full of pinto beans in the yard before a good rain. Those things sprout like crazy. Where we live it can sit in the street for how ever long you want to leave it but it has to be hooked to a vehicle. If it is in the back yard unhooked it must not be visible from the street. Works for me.

I live in Santa Rosa Ca. Nice quiet neighborhood with one set of neighbors that no one likes. so i was "babysitting" a friends boat cause they where moving. and those neighbors called the cops, i got the whole 72 hours just a warning talk so every two days i parked it across the street in front of there house! i did this for like two weeks! <font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font><font color="ff0000">•</font> so funny finally they just apologized! f-ing people, good luck

I hear you, John. Definitely the most rational approach.... maybe not the most fun. <BR> <BR>So check this one out. 5 yrs ago we buy a home in a shared waterfront neighborhood. 83 homes in a community that shares a 300' beachfront on the lake, our own dock, slips &amp; ramp. So when we were checkin out the area, we made a point to look over the HOA CC&amp;Rs. It seemed pretty clear to us that we could park the boat in an RV spot on the side of the house behind a 6' tall gate. Well, 2 yrs into it, we get a notice that we cannot park the boat there any more. They even put a lein on our house &amp; started accruing lawyer fees. They dug up an old copy of the CC&amp;Rs that said there was not to be anything visible over the gate, ie; RV, boat, tower, etc. Come to find out a recent board had filed a new version of the CC&amp;Rs, but didn't distribute to all the home owners. Due to that, it was declared ineffective. So we were told we could not park the boat on the property at all, even though it was behind a gate. It took us 2 yrs of battling to get it worked out. And all because of a neighbor who lived 3 blocks away wanted to be a butthead. The people who live right near us couldn't care less if the boat was back there or not. <BR> <BR>Right now we're argueing about the boat slip dues. We pay $400/yr for a slip. The dues from all 17 of the slips are supposed to be held exclusively for the dock's repairs, additions, etc. A couple years ago someone on the board spent that money. And now we need some repairs done because that same board loaned our docks to a dredging crew who damaged the docks with their heavy equipment. But do you think they will allow the money for those repairs to done from the general fund? Noooooooo....... <BR> <BR>HOAs suck. I'd rather draw a big finger in the grass of that buttheads front yard. <BR> <BR>Of course I'll love being on the lake in about a month. And I'm going to propose that the dock be off limits to all neighbors who don't pay for it. <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/rofl.gif" border=0>

I had a similar issue at my house. We had the boat parked on the street and we got a notice on it, saying it was illegal to have it parked there. So I put it in the grass next to my driveway. About a week later I got another notice. Called the cop and she said someone in my neighborhood keeps calling it in. Still to this day don't know who was calling me in as none of my immediate neighbors care and most have something recreational parked at their house. Put some gravel down next to the driveway and it is now within code and no more issues. <BR> <BR>In college we did the wrap a car up in saran wrap trick. Only we then covered the saran wrap in baby oil. Talk about hard to get off.

Thats funny, Bruizza. At one point in our battle I threatened to pull the tower off the boat &amp; stick it in the front yard with a rope swing on it..... call it a swingset, which would have been perfectly legal according to the CC&amp;Rs.

we live in a golf community where there r NO trailers aloud at all in your drive way or the street, you can put them in your garage but thats all.......supposedly. I see people with there boats and rv trailers in there driveway and say nothing becouse we do the same with our boat.People bought a new house across the street and had there trailer in there drive way. it migrated to the street in front of there house for a week, then two then three. at for weeks I got p.o.ed and called bylaw, friggen had a cord run onto the street and everything,It made me so mad, If I wanted to live with Ricky Julien, and Bubbles I would have move to Sunnyvale

I had a neighbor that bitched because i parked one of my previous boats during the season along side my driveway on the concrete extension pad alongside their yard. Every other week or so they'd call and bitch to the city. The city would come out and state it was legal. They still did it. One day we had a confrontation and they stated it was ugly sitting there so i told 'em so are your kids but i haven't called anybody. Pissed 'em off it did but it also just happened to be at the end of season so i did this and left it there all winter! They moved in the spring. <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/775531.jpg" alt="Upload">

Razz the comment about their kid's is priceless. I'll have to remember that in the future

I can understand not parking in the street but, I will never live where someone tells me where I can park my boat on my own property. .02

You got that right.

ugly kids? hahahaha

Maybe it's just me but, a sweet wakeboat in front of my house or anyone else's house on my block would be beautifying the neighborhood.... just my opinion...

Ain't that the truth, Geoff. <BR> <BR>And it's almost worth the hassle when we can walk down to the boat sitting on the lake ready to go out on a run at a moment's notice.

From the HOA perspective your boat may look nice, but if the HOA allows you to park your boat in the driveway, what is it going to say when someone else parks a 20 yr old bayliner in the driveway. Consistency in the enforcement of the rules is all that you can ask.

Jim, i here you loud and clear.... just trying to put a pos. spin on it all... if those are the rules when you move into that spot then so be it... you get burned like that well, you can't really blame anyone else. That being said i'd still be upset.

I don't care what you park in your driveway. It is your driveway. If you want to put a 20 yr old bayliner there, it is fine by me. Like I said, I will never live where someone thinks they can tell me what I can do on my property.

Gosh, I love livin out in the country...

^^^^Amen

I thought about buying a 30 yr old pink AMC Gremlin to park in front of my neighbor's house. Cost was only $500 &amp; it ran fine. Even have rattle can painted rims to match. Would have been worth the price to see the guy pop a gasket.

^^^you can park it at my house. Heck, I'll even drive it.

HEhe, for you we might have to brush on paint some big flowers on it too. Maybe doll it up like it belonged to Malibu Barbie back in the 60s? <img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/clipart/rofl.gif" border=0>

That will work. The chicks will love it.

"Amen" to living in the country.

No kidding, country is where it's at, couldn't imagine having to worry about neighbors or parking it on the street.

My whole island is like a big HOA. Wasn't like this 20 years ago when I moved here. I have had my share of boat and trailer parking woes but the best story isnt mine. <BR>A guy built this ne McMansion, water front, maybe 6500'sq. Nice new place. So he has this fake grass put down. This aint Astro Turf. This is nice stuff. $$$$$$$ You have to get on your knees and touch it to tell it isnt real grass. <BR> <BR>Well the neighbor starts bitching to the city council, things escalate, everybody is quoting city code .. on and on. Well the cat loses and the city makes him scrap is beautiful green yard that cost him thousands to put down. <BR> <BR>So he rips up the plastigrass and lets the whole yard go to shizz. Just brown weeds now., Then he hires a painter and does the whole side (big pice of wall here fellas) in like 3-4' polka dots in primary colors. <BR> <BR>That was three years ago and it's still like that today. <BR> <BR>Anybody ever see the pic of that guy who built his atic vents to look like a middle finger at the neighbors? Montana I think. <BR> <BR>Good luck.

Found it. Similar story. It can be found on Snopes. <BR> <BR> <BR><img src="http://www.wakeworld.com/MB/Discus/messages/3183/775630.jpg" alt="Upload">

That was a great story John! Happened in Utah

Wow John, that is ridiculous! I can't believe some people. <BR> <BR>That pic is priceless!

I remember that feud! It made the local news and was funny as all get out. He did finally take it down, that one also involved the city if I remember <BR> <BR>(Message edited by Duramat on February 19, 2010)

The roofline was something like 2 feet over the HOA regulations and obstructed the neighbor's view. THe neighbor called him on it and the roofline was redone with the revised vents to express the homeowner's opinion. That is what I remember from the news when they showed it. <BR> <BR>Priceless indeed. <BR> <BR>There are always some people out there who have nothing better to do than enforce local city or HOA codes.