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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/34311432
I feel safer knowing this long-grass-having criminal scum is finally off the streets for good.
this post was submitted on 07 Aug 2025
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United States | News & Politics
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How else could you resolve a dispute about lawn care? Now excuse me. My neighbor's flower bed is looking a little unkempt…
Just normal lawn complaints stuff.
Soon they'll do it remotely, via drones.
Americans: My right to private property is guaranteed by constitution! Unlike those communist countries, I can do with my land as I please!
America: Has lawn inspectors. Also enforces having a lawn in front of your house taking up valuable land in urban areas.
Yeah, getting fined or ticketed for having your grass "too long" is ridiculous. I had to deal with this while pet sitting for some people who were just moving in to a house that had been unnoccupied. There was no one there to even cut the grass because they were packing up their old house in a different state.
I dont think a "too long grass" fine is unreasonable. I think if you can completely obscure a 5' tall figure standing upright in your grass alone, maybe a 30 minute fine is reasonable.
... it's how much? For being how long?
a 30 minute fine is reasonable
You mean like a timeout? Go stand in the corner?
More like 30 minutes of whatever you get paid, as all fiscal punishments should be measured
I don't understand HOAs having so much control over people's property.
Where I live if you live somewhere that has rules about how the exterior of a place looks, it's part of a strata and you pay monthly fees and the strata pays for landscapers to come in and mow everyone's lawns, repaint people's houses, repair the roof, clean the eaves trough, etc.
Seems so backwards that you just own your home outright but if you don't maintain it properly someone can just fine you. Take care of it yourselves then and leave me out of it.
California just passed a bill that caps HOA fines at $100 per offense. (iirc). Meaning if you want to paint the house purple and the HOA doesnt allow it, you pay the $100 fine and move on. It is effectively going to completely neuter HOAs.
Does that law prevent reoccurring fines too? Otherwise it's just going to be 100 dollars for each week your house is purple.
I looked it up, it's here
Relevant section on the fines:
SEC. 3. Section 5850 of the Civil Code is amended to read:
- (a) If an association adopts or has adopted a policy imposing any monetary penalty, including any fee, on any association member for a violation of the governing documents, including any monetary penalty relating to the activities of a guest or tenant of the member, the board shall adopt and distribute to each member, in the annual policy statement prepared pursuant to Section 5310, a schedule of the monetary penalties that may be assessed for those violations, which shall be in accordance with authorization for member discipline contained in the governing documents. Monetary penalties shall be reasonable.
- (b) Any new or revised monetary penalty that is adopted after complying with subdivision (a) may be included in a supplement that is delivered to the members individually, pursuant to Section 4040.
- (c) A monetary penalty for a violation of the governing documents shall not exceed the lesser of the following:
-- (1) The monetary penalty stated in the schedule of monetary penalties or supplement that is in effect at the time of the violation.
-- (2) One hundred dollars ($100) per violation.- (d)
-- (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (c), the board may impose a penalty stated in the schedule of monetary penalties or supplement that is in effect at the time of the violation that is greater than one hundred dollars ($100) per violation, if the violation may result in an adverse health or safety impact on the common area or another association member’s property.
-- (2) Before imposing a penalty on a violation pursuant to this subdivision, the board shall make a written finding specifying the adverse health or safety impact in a board meeting open to the members.- (e) A late charge or interest shall not be charged to a member for a monetary penalty.
- (f) An association shall provide a copy of the most recently distributed schedule of monetary penalties, along with any applicable supplements to that schedule, to any member upon request.
So... yeah I still don't know unfortunately.
Edit: Formatting, (c) turns into (c) by default, lol
I found an FAQ by an Association Management Company (professional HOA support people maybe?) that proposes to ensure rewriting the HOA rules to clearly state that each daily occurrence is a separate violation as a "fix" for this new law (which they hate of course):
Are daily fines permitted?
The amendments to Section 5850 state that the $100 fine cap is per violation. Therefore, daily fines are not permitted. However, what constitutes a “violation” is not addressed in the law. Associations should consider revising their fine and enforcement policies to eliminate ambiguity and expressly state that each day a violation remains uncured constitutes a separate violation subject to a distinct fine. In using this approach, the notice of hearing should identify each day the noncompliance as a separate violation, with the date of each violation clearly stated. At the hearing, the board should consider each item and decide and issue a fine (if appropriate) for each violation. Keep in mind that if the violation is cured by the date of the hearing (including health or safety related violations), or if the violation is of a nature that could not be cured by the time of the hearing and the owner has entered into a financial commitment to cure the violation, the owner cannot be fined, and no disciplinary action may be taken.
Of course they are not impartial here. And I don't know how it would go in a lawsuit. But it seems like a lot of HOAs might try this.
Where I live if you live somewhere that has rules about how the exterior of a place looks, it’s part of a strata
Fuck stratas too. Mine refuses to let us install mini split air conditioners because the outdoor condensers are "ugly" and "makes this nice Canadian townhouse complex look like one of those shithole commieblocks from China" (they actually didn't say that but someone on Reddit once did in defense of stratas and that pisssd me off so much). They don't even let us change the windows from swing out style to the sliding type that can support window air conditioners, instead we're stuck using portable air conditioners which are the least energy efficient type. So in a place where AC was not necessary until very recently due to climate change, and there are worse heat waves every year that go beyond uncomfortable to putting people at risk of heat stroke, they're worried about the aesthetics of the complex over the health of the people in it.
Our strata even got pissy at us for putting a blanket over the window to reflect the sunlight. Can't do passive cooling either.
Depends on your HOA. Some maintain pools and parks in the area. Some exist solely to 'keep property values up.'
Which is also funny to me because I would be willing to pay less if a house was In an HOA not more.
Same, HOAs are a non-starter for me. That said the price is going to be high with or without and those buying $500,000USD homes are probably less likely to care about an extra $100 a month.
we had an oppressive hoa, but did a hostile takeover with the chill neighbors next door. first order of business, no more citations for unkempt lawns, no more loud noise citations, you get to treat your home like your property so long as you weren't piling up trash in the front yard. the old hoa board had a "legal" service run by an "attorney" downtown they contracted with to fine people for menial bullshit and we fired them. guess what? people started taking better care of their yards. kids are actually playing in the street (we have enough for a baseball team now). the neighborhood has never looked better.
Surely you’re not saying that people’s lives are better with freedom than under oppression?!
That's interesting. I would have figured sending a tank would de-escalate the situation.
Fuck a duck. I live in Oklahoma and haven't mow my front yard in a month. To goddamn hot to be outside doing manual labor. No ones said shit. Plus I try avoid mowing altogether. We began see fireflies at night, and rather have wild flowers then a well maintained lawn. ACAB. Killed a man over not .mowing his grass. What bullshit. And you know it was some nosey neighbor probably sames ones quoted that called code enforcement on him.
To be fair to the pigs, they killed a man for pulling a gun on the nosey neighbor patrol. They wouldn't have bothered to shoot him over the grass... Unless they felt like it at the time.
Mental health issues and guns, a match made in heav... USA!
Guns. It's just guns. Having them around seems to trigger people into doing silly things
Bigger stick make monkey brain fearless...
Why are people complaining about grass heights, and why is there a person whose job it is to care? And why is this a violation of anything?(I know the answers, please don’t respond pedantically)
My neighbors lawn is knee high.
Apache gunship is enroute
"911, what's your emergency?"
I was annoying some guy about how he mowed his own property and he pointed a gun at me.
Way to go your neighbor
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Here's hoping that all the people involved in this death have a hard time sleeping for the rest of their miserable lives.
From the person that complained in the first place, the inspector, that whole office, and all the cunting officers that attended. Bunch of fucking arseholes.
Apart from that, peace and love from Australia.
That is insanity. Meanwhile I sit in my backyard right now that is so overgrown I can barely see my large dog... I should probably be shot too. They brought a tank to a code enforcement situation.
My back yard:
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That's why we don’t let any random person buy guns
I believe in every American's right to own a 25mm cannon. Keeps the Bearcats away.
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I saw a few random patches on that lawn that had blades as high as 15cm!!
Maybe they can kill him again!
Somehow I doubt the grass is gonna get cut now
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