Norfolk - boat in your driveway?

[G.Mech]

Just looking into this a bit more and as @bigtalk said earlier a driveway in front of the house is part of the 'required yard' which is 6 metres wide across the front of the property. I guess in Norfolk this means that you can park a motor vehicle in the driveway part of the yard but not an RV which includes boats and other trailers for more than 72 hours in Residential zones. Lots of people do it but it seems it is not quite legal if somebody complains.

 

[G.Mech]

@Derkd9 why is this funny to you?

 

[Derkd9]

@Derkd9 why is this funny to you?

People need to get a life
Like seriously make a bi law so you can’t park your personal possessions on your own property!
Like what you need to own a garage if you want a recreational vehicle. Or you need to pay for storage elsewhere. It is BS
So yah I find that law funny in a sad pathetic way that some asshole neighbours complained which is likely how this ever become law

 

[Jello]

Just looking into this a bit more and as @bigtalk said earlier a driveway in front of the house is part of the 'required yard' which is 6 metres wide across the front of the property. I guess in Norfolk this means that you can park a motor vehicle in the driveway part of the yard but not an RV which includes boats and other trailers for more than 72 hours in Residential zones. Lots of people do it but it seems it is not quite legal if somebody complains.

The thing is, the section he quoted in the letter, 4.5 (c), is different from the 4.5 (c) in the most recent zoning bylaw. I searched the whole document for what he quoted and it's not in there.

 

[tazmania]

To add to this POS county.
Norfolk hired all these parking/bylaw idiots to police the wonderful meters in long point and port dover.
They must be bored or trying to justify their job. Never seen one until last year. Young guy driving a county ford escape driving all slung down like a gangster.

 

[GPS]

It is my belief that a bylaw like this was created for neighbours. Picture this, house on left of you has a 38’ fifth wheel that takes the whole length of the driveway. House on right side of you parks his 24’ boat trailer and a closed utility trailer.
You and your wife enjoy sitting on your front porch but now have no view except straight out.
My 2 cents, they don’t just dream these up.

 

[ch312]

People need to get a life
Like seriously make a bi law so you can’t park your personal possessions on your own property!
Like what you need to own a garage if you want a recreational vehicle. Or you need to pay for storage elsewhere. It is BS
So yah I find that law funny in a sad pathetic way that some asshole neighbours complained which is likely how this ever become law

Once you understand you never actually own your property it makes it easier to come to terms with how and why they can create ridiculous rules we must follow. The queen owns your land regardless of who you are and how much money is owing.

You’ll be fine as nobody complains, but seeing as bylaws are mainly complaint based all it takes is one annoying neighbour to start and endless battle with the county, which you will not win. If you don’t pay the fine they add it to property tax. Don’t pay property tax they’ll eventually sell your house.

Canada, the land of the free. As long as you keep paying taxes….

 

[ch312]

It is my belief that a bylaw like this was created for neighbours. Picture this, house on left of you has a 38’ fifth wheel that takes the whole length of the driveway. House on right side of you parks his 24’ boat trailer and a closed utility trailer.
You and your wife enjoy sitting on your front porch but now have no view except straight out.
My 2 cents, they don’t just dream these up.

You got it. What many people don’t realize is bylaws are typically the result of past problems and the bylaws were introduced to prevent further issues.

This bylaw in question prevents the issue you’ve described above, but also prevents people from having boat/trailer salvage yards on their front lawns, storing boats for themselves or others, and safety issues due to limited visibility.

It sucks if you’re forced to pay for storage or whatever, but that’s the way she goes.

 

[DaveJ]

It is my belief that a bylaw like this was created for neighbours. Picture this, house on left of you has a 38’ fifth wheel that takes the whole length of the driveway. House on right side of you parks his 24’ boat trailer and a closed utility trailer.
You and your wife enjoy sitting on your front porch but now have no view except straight out.
My 2 cents, they don’t just dream these up.

You are 100% correct. Municipal bylaws are there to protect you from people like me!!!
There are bylaws that come across as being ridiculous. Yet, they are there to ensure everyone in a residential setting lives to a standard.
I know this because we live beside a property that tore a house down on a beautiful treed lot, then proceeded to strip the trees and turn it into a storage dumping grounds eyesore. I made numerous documented complaints per the bylaw complaints process. They refuse to comply with 3 years of municipal orders, so now its going to court and they are going to loose big time....but 3 years of not giving a sh#t about neighbouring properties. So yes, Im OK with some bylaws that protect me as a property owner.

 

[Old Cut LongPointer]

Like I said By-Laws are a necessary evil; vis a vis, rules to live by. There's all kinds of them besides Parking like Noise, Animal Control, Construction, Garbage, Sewage, Water Usage and the list goes on. "Rules... without them we live with the animals." Winston/John Wick Chapter 2 .

 

[jaymag]

Unfortunately Im in Hamilton. I have been on my street for 30 years and things have changed for the worse over the years. I have trailers on front lawns of rental properties. 3 commercial trucks on the street and businesses being run out of residential homes. So the parking on the street is out of hand and there are bylaws against all this but the city doesn't and wont enforce it. It makes it hard to get in and out and no one has any common courtesy or sense anymore. My toys are in my backyard locked in my garage as the bylaw allows. They may seem silly but we all should have to follow them. Like OCLP said necessary evil.

 

[Crestliner16]

Necessary evil, maybe, but even a well-intentioned law can capture/prohibit more than it needs to.

If motivated by public opinion, there’s no reason the politicians couldn’t draft a revised by-law to prohibit certain unsightly ‘stuff’ from being stored on lawns, giant parked RV’s from creating safety/visibility issues, etc. etc. etc. as listed above … all without stopping average joe from parking his reasonably sized toy of choice in the driveway… if unhappy with the rules, make your voice heard.

 

[Porkpie]

Necessary evil, maybe, but even a well-intentioned law can capture/prohibit more than it needs to.

If motivated by public opinion, there’s no reason the politicians couldn’t draft a revised by-law to prohibit certain unsightly ‘stuff’ from being stored on lawns, giant parked RV’s from creating safety/visibility issues, etc. etc. etc. as listed above … all without stopping average joe from parking his reasonably sized toy of choice in the driveway… if unhappy with the rules, make your voice heard.

There’s that old saying, you can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. I don’t think it would matter what a council did, someone would be complaining that it unnecessarily targeted them, and whatever they where doing was ok, but not the other guy. Government is thankless and always the bad guy! I’m just glad that I can still keep a boat in my driveway where I live. No doubt one day some complainer will screw that up for me.

 

[DaveJ]

Unfortunately Im in Hamilton. I have been on my street for 30 years and things have changed for the worse over the years. I have trailers on front lawns of rental properties. 3 commercial trucks on the street and businesses being run out of residential homes. So the parking on the street is out of hand and there are bylaws against all this but the city doesn't and wont enforce it. It makes it hard to get in and out and no one has any common courtesy or sense anymore. My toys are in my backyard locked in my garage as the bylaw allows. They may seem silly but we all should have to follow them. Like OCLP said necessary evil.

I was having some trouble getting the municipality to get firm with the bylaw enforcement. I contacted the Ombudsman and followed his process so he could intervene. Once I let the township know I had called the ombudsman...as well as our ward councillor and our MPP, things started to click pretty fast. Try it...

 

[Teddy69]

Once you understand you never actually own your property it makes it easier to come to terms with how and why they can create ridiculous rules we must follow. The queen owns your land regardless of who you are and how much money is owing.

You’ll be fine as nobody complains, but seeing as bylaws are mainly complaint based all it takes is one annoying neighbour to start and endless battle with the county, which you will not win. If you don’t pay the fine they add it to property tax. Don’t pay property tax they’ll eventually sell your house.

Canada, the land of the free. As long as you keep paying taxes….

The lefty trend in today’s governments don’t want us to own boats, trucks , rv’s or trailers they want us to drive electric cars or better yet live in a city and walk and use public transportation it’s better for them if non of us can afford property and have to pay insanely high rent and just be mindless zombie tax slaves electronic currency will be the next thing we all just need to “transition”……….(change)

 

[Crestliner16]

There’s that old saying, you can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time. …

@Porkpie I agree, just saying that it’s the squeaky wheels that get the grease. IMO there’s no reason for the bylaw to cover small, unobtrusive toys/boats if that’s not the intent..

 

[Old Cut LongPointer]

I have a quick question about the Norfolk bylaws. Can you park your fishing boat in your driveway? The bylaw says you can't have it in a front or side yard for more than 7 days. But does "yard" include the paved driveway? Thanks.

Hope we answered your question ? BTW; Were you just wondering or did someone actually complain ? Either way boats look better in the water than in a driveway plus you can tell the wife you have to go fishing so you don't get a parking ticket. LoL !

 

[bryonfromTilly]

I was having some trouble getting the municipality to get firm with the bylaw enforcement. I contacted the Ombudsman and followed his process so he could intervene. Once I let the township know I had called the ombudsman...as well as our ward councillor and our MPP, things started to click pretty fast. Try it...

Then there's always that guy. I'm glad my neighbors are cool

 

[Trevor M]

Canada, the land of the free. As long as you keep paying taxes….

"Land of the free"......that's the US..........we're Canadians...........here, we're the "true north strong and free"..........IF we pay our taxes, AND apologize to people all the time whether we did anything that requires an apology or not, just to live up to the stereotype that other countries seem to have of us....IF only they knew

 

[DaveJ]

Then there's always that guy. I'm glad my neighbors are cool

Its the a$$ holes that own the lot that are not cool. Try living the nightmare we have for the last 3 years. We've lived here for 22 years, raised a family, worked hard as RNs. These people have never lived here, theres no house...its an eyesore and they dont care. Hopefully the courts will bring down the hammer...

..and THATS cool...