Church-Goers park in front of our House

[gryndor]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? CA

We just rented a house this month. We are starting to notice that the church across the street has several regulars that like to park in front of our house, blocking our normal parking spots and sometimes they're up on our lawn.

Is this something we live with, leave notes to please stop parking there, or is it something that after appropriate warning, we can take some sort of preventative action?

I tried to glean the answer from this forum and from the web in general but I can't seem to find a real answer...

 

[Zigner]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? CA

We just rented a house this month. We are starting to notice that the church across the street has several regulars that like to park in front of our house, blocking our normal parking spots and sometimes they're up on our lawn.

Is this something we live with, leave notes to please stop parking there, or is it something that after appropriate warning, we can take some sort of preventative action?

I tried to glean the answer from this forum and from the web in general but I can't seem to find a real answer...

It's a public street...it's not your personal parking lot.

As for the lawn...when it happens, call the cops.

 

[gryndor]

Ok, that's pretty much what we figured. Thank you!

 

[154NH773]

As for the lawn...when it happens, call the cops.

You might want to see if they are parking in the roadway right-of-way. In other words, does your lawn extend into the city owned street way, or does the city have an easement that includes part of your lawn. If that is the case;

It's a public street...it's not your personal parking lot.

 

[tranquility]

Churches like to be good neighbors as well. If you politely share your concerns with the church leadership, they may ask their members not to park there.

 

[Zigner]

Churches like to be good neighbors as well. If you politely share your concerns with the church leadership, they may ask their members not to park there.

On the grass - of course!

But I think it's highly improper for the OP to consider the public street as "their parking spots"

 

[tranquility]

The OP does not have to ask about the grass (most probably), the tow trucks will take care of that problem.

The OP does not have the right to demand anything about the space in front of his house on the street. But, it's not improper to ask. The church can decide what to do as nice guys or as good stewards. Anger enough local residents with crowds and traffic and *then* there could be problems with the city.

 

[izzie01]

There is a church in a neighborhood near me that has signs(city signs) posted along one block" no church parking". I was a real problems for traffic along that road and for the residents that lived across the street from the church. But just speaking with someone at the church so they can make an announcement sometime during services to be careful about parking on your grass. As said earlier, it is a public street and parking otherwise can't usually be restricted.