Unregistered vehicles in back yard

[giggly13]

What is the name of your state? Missouri

First time poster, and I'm hoping someone can point me in the right direction.
My husband and I moved here two years ago and live inside the city limits. We have 6 cars, three of which we use on the road, the other three are being worked on. We do not have a functional garage. They are not sitting on blocks. Since we have moved here, we have had neighbors complaining about the number of cars that we have. When the city comes out and checks them out, all they bust us on is the registrations. On the prior complaints, we had two of the cars in the lawn on the side of our yard, and we have moved them into the back yard. You cannot see either of those cars from the front of the house, or the road. Our back yard is partially fenced in, and the only way you can see these cars is if you walk into our back yard.

Today I get a voicemail left on my phone from the city that neighbors complained about our yard (I admit back yard is kind of high...it was going to be done this weekend) and the cars. She reiterates that she has contacted us on the cars before, and she will contact the police if need be. I looked up the city ordinances and do not see anything which prohibits us from having unregistered vehicles in our yard, nor the number of vehicles. Again, we are not at all driving these vehicles.

An acquaintance of my husband indicated that the city can't do anything about the vehicles on the properties per a case that went through the system a few years ago versus the City of Des Peres where a resident had a few cars in his yard that he was working on. I want to say that it went to State Supreme Court stating a city cannot dictate how many vehicles a person has on his/her property or whether they are registered. The registration dictates whether it can be legally driven on the road.

Does anybody know if the city can really do anything? Again, they had to physically walk into my yard to determine whether the two in the yard were unregistered. I am currently out of work, and our next project was to build a garage that would take care of this, but we don't know what to do in the mean time with nosy neighbors and the nagging city.

Also please inform me if I am misinformed.

 

[FarmerJ]

Go to your city hall zoning desk and ask them for a copy of any ords that spell out rules for cars parked on private property that are not currently plated or appear to be not running. It is supposed to be public information so they must give it to you. ONCE you have seen it for your self then you will know how to deal with it.

 

[giggly13]

Thanks for the response. That was actually the approach we were going to take first. The inspector is out until Wednesday, so we have to wait until then til we can talk to her.

Is there any sort of site that can be accessed to pull up specific cases? That is outside of Lexis Nexis? I was hoping there was some sort of free site to look up cases. In talking to my husband, the case with the resident in Des Peres was probably back in the 80's. I want to say the city of Des Peres made a stink about the guy's cars, and the courts ruled in favor of the resident due to some State or Federal law that did not limit such things. Again, I don't know the exact details...which is why I'm hoping I can find a way to look up the case without contacting an attorney..

 

[ian_m]

http://www.moga.mo.gov/statutesearch/
has the state statutes.
577.080 mentions if you are renting and storing without owner's permission.
301.025 says the county could suspend registration (including future registration) until $20 reinstatement fee paid if personal property taxes haven't been paid.

couldn't find anything about county or city regulations online.

 

[LindaP777]

City ordinances are set in place for the protection of all it's residents and to protect the beauty of the area.
I at first thought your post was a joke! Asking if it's OK to park 3 non-working cars in your yard with high grass! YIKES!

On a personal note; don't you think 6 cars is a bit much, especially when 3 aren't even working? Don't you think parking them in the side and back yards with the weeds growing up around them is quite trashy looking? Do you really want to be known on the street as the neighbors with the trashy yard? I must say, I wouldn't want to look at it and I would be calling the city to complain, too.

Forget fixing them! Sell them "as is" and get them out of there! Clean up the yard (make it a place you can be proud of), then build the garage when you have the time and money (make sure you check with the city and get permits) and pursue your hobby of fixing up cars. Don't be a neighbor whose yard is an eye sore!

 

[giggly13]

Thanks for the replies.

With regards to the grass, we are working on it. We admit we are in the wrong. It was a rough winter with ice storms, which resulted in fallen limbs. We lost two trees, and as a result have two holes in our side yard for where they fell over. Our yard was partially ruined when we bought this place not long ago due to the prior owners having dogs and ripping the grass up in the back yard. We also bought this house with hopes of fixing it up. We are working on the inside, and admittedly, sometimes the outside gets put on the back burner. The goal is to get trees planted in the yard to replace those that have fallen and completely relandscape the rest.

The reason behind the cars sitting unused is two reasons 1) they consume the most gas of the vehicles and 2) they are vehicles which we personally collect. The reason they are unregistered is due to a few repairs that need to be done to get them to pass inspection required by the State of Missouri. A lack of garage is temporarily preventing us from fixing the problems.These vehicles were registered in Wisconsin before we moved here, and Wisconsin didn't require the inspection.

We're not attempting to looking like stereotypical trash. One of the vehicles that is registered and being used is a DeLorean.

 

[LindaP777]

One of the vehicles that is registered and being used is a DeLorean.

I'm finding it hard to picture a Delorean in the back yard, exposed to the elements with weeds growing up a round it. Most collectors would take pride and care of their collections. Seems to me you got the 'cart before the horse' (no garage) when you started collecting.
I still say, get rid of the cars, clean up the yard (get it pristine), build the garage, then start your "collection" keeping the prized vehicles in the garage out of the elements (and out of eyesight).

 

[ian_m]

I heard pride in the word 'DeLorean'. It is registered and in use, not on blocks in the weeds.

In Saint Charles Co even in the agriculture classification, you are only allowed 2 unregistered vehicles, and they must be on pavement or gravel uniformly 6 inches thick and weed-free.

 

[giggly13]

I heard pride in the word 'DeLorean'. It is registered and in use, not on blocks in the weeds.

In Saint Charles Co even in the agriculture classification, you are only allowed 2 unregistered vehicles, and they must be on pavement or gravel uniformly 6 inches thick and weed-free.

Thanks Ian, that is actually the type of information I am looking for. It is probably similar throughout the state. And yes, there is pride to having the DeLorean. It is in the driveway and driven when weather permits. I do also appreciate the link to the MO statutes. I found the ones for the city but those I didn't find right away.

I didn't come here to be judged about what goes on behind my fence in my fenced yard. As I stated in the OP, The only way you would see the two vehicles in the yard is if you were to walk 100 feet from the road into my back yard. Honestly, we did not start getting complaints about our vehicles until the DeLorean was purchased. It was roughly 1 week after it came into the driveway that someone complained. To me, it seems that we have a jealous neighbor that doesn't like that we have that car and that all our cars are paid for.

The question I initially posed was about the unregistered cars, not my lawn. I don't see how having multiple cars would be disrupting the neighbors. The neighbor to one side of me put latticework from the floor of his deck straight up to an extension of his roof. To me, it is disruptive and looks like an overgrown playpen. There isn't even any ivy on it to justify the latticework. Aside from the playpen, it appears to be a redneck screened porch because ultimately that's what it is. Just because I don't like it doesn't mean he broke any statutes or laws. And that is why I came here looking for advice if anyone knew of a law/statute or had any idea as to where I could find access the Missouri case in the 80's where it was a similar situation to mine in Des Peres. It's not a big deal that noone knew offhand where to find it. It was a long shot and worth a try.

I appreciate all the help I received from everyone.

 

[ian_m]

(in saint charles county anyway)
Your lawn stopped being your lawn when you placed an unregistered vehicle there. It became a parking area. Saint Charles County regulations of that could be viewed by searching for 'saint charles unified development ordinance'. sections 405.420 and 405.440.

 

[FarmerJ]

Your nieghbor might have put the latice work up to screen your view of him sitting on the deck in his shorts ~~ If you cannot afford a full garage maybe your zoning dept can tell you what is allowed for carports , this could give you a space to park vehicles and cost less than a full garage.

 

[xylene]

Please don't play naive

I didn't come here to be judged about what goes on behind my fence in my fenced yard.

If you doubt the power of government to regulate what goes on behind a fence you are mistaken.

There are many reasons (fair and unfair) why the state regulates motor vehicles.

You do not need a vehicle to pass inspection to be registered.
You do need it to be registered and insured and generally operative to store it on your land, not enclosed in a building.

Your lack of a garage is your problem, storing vehicles outside makes it your neighbors problem.

This is not a matter of taste, but of law.

 

[brianolds2]

Re: Previous Post

Wrong Xylene,
You do not need registration, insurance, or any of that other bullcrap the gov. makes you believe is required, that's a scheme to make the pockets of the corp. bigger.
Unless the vehicle is a Commercial Vehicle IT DOES NOT NEED TO BE REGISTERED, INSURED, OR INSPECTED.
If you are driving for whatever reason as long as it is not for work or commercially sound, you are not driving you are traveling, as part of your natural inalienable right to travel unrestricted and unhindered from point A to point B for personal business or pleasure.
By the Gov. making people believe it is required it is then that people waive those rights and submit to their control and monitoring. I have hundreds of different cases supporting this decision, Traveling in a Automobile is part of your natural rights, unless waived by the registration, Drivers License, etc. ...
And yes the cases I have supporting the decision are after 1933. as the courts will not recognize anything before these dates as to coincide with public policy which went uniform after the case of THompkins Vs Erie RR.
Traveling in an Automobile is a RIGHT not a Priviledge!

 

[brianolds2]

That's a major thing to remember when dealing with law people is the wording, a motor vehicle is a commercial word, automobile on the other hand is not. Driving is a commercial word, Traveling is not.
Whenever you use words that are related to commerce, you are going to take a charge, if you are representing yourself instead of using these words use the words that are regulatory to your rights, traveling, automobile, just a few examples.

It is important also to remember you've got as much power as they do if you know your laws and rights, it's part of being a 'CITIZEN' it's your responsibility, if you don't know those laws and rights, you loos them. Basically they can charge you with whatever they want and if you accept the charge that's your fault, it's your responsibility to know what they can and can't do, thus one of the reasons the judge asks you if you understand the charges, never accept them, if you know enough of your laws and rights you can legally sue each and every person involved with attempting to charge you with traffic citations. It's illegal, people just don't know that, which is why they get away with it

'if you don't know your laws and rights you loose them, simple as that'

 

[brianolds2]

ALSO IF THEY ENTER YOUR PROPERTY THEY ARE TRESPASSING TELL THEM TO LEAVE.
And you can use it on police too, if they are giving you crap tell them to get off your property they are tresspassing, only way they can legally enter your property is with a search warrant, probable cause isn't enough.
If you own the property, put signs up "if you don't like the view, look the other way"
they like to push 'human beings' around and take as many rights and liberties they can from us, it's a matter of knowing how to handle the situation. put a lien on those vehicles sitting there, that'll keep them from trying to remove them, because they'd have to satisfy the lein first.

Just a piece of advice, we had to place a lein on the county courthouse before for copyright infringment over a traffic citation in order to get our way with them. - long story.