| The zoning people probably came to suspect that you were in violation of an ordinance via a neighbor who complained. Most zoning officers officers don't do random searches behind enclosed walls or enter into properties without just cause, but there are afew Wyatt Erps. If you feel that it is a Erp, write a complaint letter to the municipal council and demand that the officer never come back to your property. This usually will settle down the problem.I had one come onto my property and follow in a tree spade on a truck to see if I was doing something illegal> I have a tree farm. I called the supervisor and explained that would be like following a dairy truck into a dairy farm and that this action amounted to harassment. I had no further problems.Also when talking to a zoning officer on your own turf carry and show him a tape recorder and tape everything he says while he is with you if the situation warrents.Also use the zoning ordances against the municiaplity. For example if they say you are harboring noxious weeds, go to one of their parks and photograph their noxious weeds. There can be no selective inforcement.If the officer says that he is responding to a unkown persons complaint. That is the greatest. Write the municipality a letter and say in effect, you understand that unkown compainers provide the zoning officer a unreasonable aliby to inspect any property. If they want to continue this abusive policy, you are sure that they can be subject to hundreds of them . Then say in effect change the policy or you will call upon fellow citizens to call in every single alledged violation.This trick works extremely well. (In my state a farmer killed crop controll deer and did not report them The game warden insisted that kills be reported and turned in. So he killed ground hogs and rabbits and called them in as "crop kills" When the warden came on the 5 th time he said ok you dont have to call them in, the farmer said put it in writing. The warden refused and the farmer now just kill the criters and doesn't call anything in.) In short think about your options, maybe a tarp is a good solution or build a garage to store your parts. | 
01-02-2003, 06:08 PM
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