Man living in 5th wheel on his own land harrassed

[Pleasant Travels]

https://www.alloutdoor.com/2019/06/...ent=2019-06-25&utm_campaign=Weekly+Newsletter

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Tompkins Township, MI — A down-on-his-luck man reportedly living in a fifth wheel campingtrailer on his own land has been fined by the government which truly does own the land. How sad.[/font]

When medical bills forced Robert Sharp to sell his home in 2018, he ended up on this 19-acre plot in Jackson County’s Tompkins Township.
‘I bought this with my own money. It’s right by my parents old house. It’s the neighborhood I grew up in and I always wanted to stay here,’ Sharp said.
A former construction worker — retired after several spinal surgeries. [sic] Sharp got his permit to build a house in December of 2018.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]But now he’s received a ticket because he’s stayed in his trailer a little longer than his local “authorities” think he should. Here’s this poor guy trying to get his ducks in a row, and his local government is making things even harder on him.[/font]

 

[Wabbit]

I imagine there's a law there saying you can't do what this person was doing. If someone breaks the law, there are consequences. I don't know the whole story, but it sounds less like harassment and more like the consequences of breaking the law. I'm not talking about right and wrong, but if there's a law and it's being broken, of course there should be consequences. Again, not talking about right or wrong or even justice.

 

[lenny flank]

Building codes and fire codes exist for a good reason.

 

[Wabbit]

Building codes and fire codes exist for a good reason.

Gonna fix this for you...lol

Building codes and fire codes exist for a g̶o̶o̶d̶ reason.

 

[GraceinMotion]

I'm so thankful that my parents went thru a "homestead "ing phase when I was a teenager. In my particular state, local zoning and DNR regulations, then and now, are so overreaching that there is no way in he-- i would ever own property here. They moved to Arkansas after the DNR declared 3/4 of their 20 acres "wetlands." Less interference there from govt, but i knew that "owning" property anywhere would be more aggravating than it's worth. I need to be able to move when the long hand of TPTB loom in my direction. My best hope is to die somewhere "out there" and become one with the land they think they control.

 

[Weldman]

Klamath County in Oregon is same way, 6 months and you better have building permit to build something while living in a RV of any sorts or they will start fining you. Was going to move there till heard that one and backed out the purchase of the property.

 

[highdesertranger]

Grace what does TPTB stand for? highdesertranger

 

[Wabbit]

The Powers That Be.

 

[DannyB1954]

The land use regulations are there to please others in the neighborhood. Someone spending $300,000 to build a house doesn't want the guy next door living in a vehicle or tent.
Where I live you can legally live in a rv 6 months out of the year. As in a snow bird situation. Some people do it year round. Unless a neighbor complains, the County does not go out of their way to enforce the 6 month only rule. One of his neighbors is probably complaining so the county can't just ignore the violation. They have a legal duty to enforce the laws.

 

[RoamerRV428]

nothing in the article truly what laws they are imposing on him....so can't comment much either way on it. He is in violation of something so they can go after him. Sad story tho

 

[lenny flank]

"I can do whatever I want!" sounds great when one is 14.

Then one grows up and realizes what a terribly stupid idea it really is.

 

[Wabbit]

/\ Are you referring to the guy in the article? I didn't really get that vibe. He stated he had permission and the picture shown seems to show a clean camp.

What makes you believe this guy is doing whatever he wants?

 

[maki2]

In general the rules and regulations are well meant to help insure that people are living in safe habitations that reduce the risk of fire, of overcrowding and also ensure essential sanitation as well as water that is safe to drink and that waste is properly disposed of to reduce issues with an overpopulation of rodents and such. Furthermore they seek to protect the waters and lands from pollution.

But over the years laws can get so excessive that only the wealthy can comply with the regulations and the fees for inspections also skyrocket as do the property taxes. Some areas have gone so far that it is illegal to not be connected to utilities such as sewer, water, electric and you must have garbage service as well.

But there are still places in this country where there are not all that many restrictions, it is mostly in the more populated locations that they are that strict.

The advocates of the tiny house movement are busy trying to break down those barriers that prevent people from living a much more modest life in small sized dwellings with minimal grid utilities.

Fifth wheels, motorhomes and travel trailers are not classified as permanent dwelling spaces under any of the existing codes. So even some of the more rural county areas do have ordinances against using them for a dwelling as do most cities and towns.

 

[DannyB1954]

Many zoning and housing ordinances are written to deal with the few that have made a bad example of themselves. Laws can't be written that do not apply to everyone, so the net is cast and all the fish pay the price.

 

[AmargosaWayne]

Pahrump, NV has a special zoning for land used for an RV. Cannot have any permanent dwelling structures. Sheds, garages, are okay. However, the property cannot be occupied year round. The RV can stay, though.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

There are a few places in California that have regulations against living in vehicles on your own property as a hangover from the hippie movement. In the 60s and 70s there were huge areas in Marin where people would just park a bunch of busses and minivans on someones property.
Putting all the concerns about drugs and disease aside, it more than likely was just that the 'city fathers' didn't care for the dirty hippy kids and their rock and roll.
Of course such laws rarely have expiration dates.

 

[TexasTripper]

30 years ago we moved far out into the country on 10 acres with no restrictions. Lots of mish mash of different homes from storage sheds to RVs. And many Trailers. 7 years ago a retired Doctor purchased 20 acres across the street (part of a ranch) he went to the local authorities trying to create zoning on the 28 long time residents. He wanted his brand new home to gain in value rather than the locals bringing it down lol. We won the case before it even went to court because the ranch that subdivided the 10 acre plots added a phrase that basically said restrictions cannot be added unless the owners of the 28 plots agreed.

Lesson?? Read all the fine print.

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Same thing happened to a friend of mine.
His grandfather was German speaking Swiss carpenter.
He got freaked out by the anti-German hatred during WWII and didn't speak English very well, so he bought some land in a remote area of Marin county California and he built a house.
Years later I'm friends with his grandson who inherited the house. It was a really cool place, obviously built by a craftsman building his own home.
But the remote area had become a wealthy enclave in the hills of Marin. The nouveau riche who moved in around him were not happy about my friend having parties with lots of cars. Though they themselves did the same thing all the time. The difference being their parties were catered.
They didn't like my friend growing pot, thought it's legal in California. Or his band practicing. They kept trying to pull zoning tricks or quality of life things.
But every time they came up against the old families of Marin, of which my friend's family was well known as a multi-generational family of carpenters who had worked on all the old houses.
Eventually my friend got tired of the harrassment. Even if he came out on top more often than not, it's no fun being the pariah in a neighborhood.
There was also some family beef about the land being worth money and the other siblings wanting a share.
so they sold the place. The old house was demolished to make way for condos and my friend bought a newer house with no character in a suburb.
Progress wins yet again.

I'm actually looking to buy land myself right now, and am not looking forward to the whole zoning aspect.
(being realistic, not sure if I want to be living in a van into my 60's)
Whether I buy a house or a bare plot, I'm surely going to get some stupid idea in my head that is against zoning, or would have needed a permit.

 

[rruff]

There are a few places in California that have regulations against living in vehicles on your own property as a hangover from the hippie movement.

I'm going to guess that the great majority of places in the west have such restrictions and it has nothing to do with hippies. Cochise Co in AZ is known for being cheap and permissive when it comes to building codes, permits, and inspections, but they don't allow you to park an RV on your land unless you have an approved septic, or are in the process of building a house. Getting away with it is another matter, and depends on how far in the sticks you are and your neighbors.

If you live in a place that allows someone to have a hog farm, then most likely living in an RV would also be allowed...

 

[Calaverasgrande]

Don't want to bicker about it, but I suggest you do your research.

As far as zoning. There was some homesteading program my mom (RIP) liked to watch on HGTV a few years ago.
I remember an episode about a couple that bought a few acres in a semi residential area.
They thought they were all good being outside the city limits.
They built a bunch of things getting ready to homestead. Chicken coop, compost, raised beds for the gardens etc.
Then they take delivery of their chickens and IIRC sheep or goats?
Then a neighbor complains about the livestock to the county.
Turns out when the original farm parceled off a few smaller pieces, it was stipulated that no farming or livestock could be done on those.
So the couple had to sell and take a loss.
It really sucks, but due diligence!