Some people don’t think this is a big deal, but that’s because they don’t know your reasoning. I, however, can relate. Having my neighbors park in front of my house leaves no space for my visitors. I have trees with branches that hang slightly over the road and with cars being parked there almost every day, I can’t trim the branches.
The best way to stop neighbors from parking in front of your house is to tell them politely why you don’t want them to park there. If that doesn’t work, you can get them towed away if they’re illegally parked, like too close to a fire hydrant, or in front of your driveway.
Selling a house will also be a lot harder if there’s an old car parked in front of it. It decreases the aesthetics of the area. People normally don’t park luxury cars out in the street for days.
Most times, cars parked outside your house will make it more difficult to pull out of your driveway because they block the view of the traffic. There are literally hundreds of good reasons you wouldn’t want someone parking there.
How To Stop Someone Parking In Front Of Your House
First of all, you won’t be able to stop them if they aren’t violating any laws. Even as the homeowner you have no authority over the parking spots in front of your house. But don’t worry, there are some cases where they might be parking illegally, for example.
In Front of Driveways
The law states that nobody is allowed to park in front of any curb that has been cut down, including your driveway. You may not block the entrance to any driveway. This means that you can request the driver to move their car even if it’s only partially in front of the lowered curb.
If you can’t find the driver or they refuse to move the vehicle, you can call the police to report the problem. Completely or partially parking in front of a driveway is illegal and will lead to the vehicle being towed away if they don’t move.
Close to Fire Hydrants
If you’re lucky enough to have a fire hydrant in front of your house, you can warn anyone who parks within 10 feet of it about their likelihood of being towed. 10 feet is the minimum distance you must allow between the vehicle and the fire hydrant when parking. That’s 10 feet on both sides, so nobody is allowed to park within that 20 foot stretch.
In a Disabled Parking Space
If you or anyone else that regularly visits your house has a handicap, you can put in a request for a spot to be reserved for disabled drivers only. This can reduce the number of cars that park in that spot. Anyone who doesn’t have a handicapped parking permit will be ticketed if caught. But don’t expect the police to come rushing in to issue a parking violation every time you see it happen.
Also, if the area is not busy enough, you may not be approved for the special parking.
Has it been parked for over 72 hours?
Although you’ll have to check the specific laws in your area, in most cases, the law states that a vehicle parked in the street for longer than 72 hours may be considered abandoned. You can report it to the police to let them investigate.
Bad Methods Of Deterring Front Yard Parkers
These are some solutions I’ve heard of from people who say that they actually did these things to solve the problem. I must warn you NOT to do these things and tell you why.
Park An Old Rusted Junker Car In Front Of Their House
The idea is to buy the cheapest rust bucket you can find and park it in front of your neighbors until they complain, at which point you tell them that if they remove their car, you will remove yours.
This is the type of suggestion that would get huge praise and laughter at a BBQ, but there are reasons not to do this.
First Problem: If your neighbors can prove that you only bought that vehicle to be a nuisance, you could be looking at some legal trouble.
Second Problem: Those neighbors might call your bluff and not say anything, leaving you with a scrap car and a couple hundred dollars down.
Third Problem: Being an offensive strategy, you might cause them to retaliate and fight back in another way. They might have a friend in the junkyard business who can bring 10 cars to fill your street. Don’t be offensive when trying to resolve issues, that’s how things escalate.
Move the car with tire dollies and a jack
I heard someone say that they just jacked the car up onto tire dollies and moved the car away themselves. I think that’s a “BIG FISH” story but for any of you thinking about doing it. DON’T!
First Problem: The owner of the car can charge you with interfering with their vehicle.
Second Problem: If the car rolls away and damages anything, you will be liable.
Third Problem: If you injure anyone while doing this, you will be charged with assault or even manslaughter.
If the vehicle is blocking your driveway or breaking any other law, call the police and report the crime. Don’t take matters into your own hands.
Putting stickers on the car
Some people say that slapping stickers on the window saying “Nice Parking” or something to that effect will work well. It’s not a good idea. Putting stickers on someone else’s car is considered vandalism under US law according to criminaldefenselawyer.com.
If you are found guilty of putting stickers on cars that you don’t own, you can be charged and can receive a hefty fine for doing it.
Can I Put a No Parking Sign Outside My House?
You may not put up a No Parking sign outside of your house. You have no authority over the road in front of your house.
Can I Leave a Cone In The Spots In Front Of My House?
You may not leave cones in the spots in front of your house. You are not allowed to interfere with the road in front of your house at all. The first person to safely park on the side of the road has the legal right to do so.
What Can I Do If My Neighbor Keeps Parking In Front of My House?
If they aren’t breaking any laws, you can still try the following methods.
Speak to the owner
Communicate with the owner of the vehicle and let them know why you don’t want them to park in front of your house. There are hundreds of possible reasons and they might not understand the problem until you bring it to their attention.
It could be that you need to prune the trees in that area of your front yard. You might receive visitors and you don’t want to inconvenience them by not having parking available. Maybe your mom has trouble walking and they are causing her to walk further.
Let them know your reasoning and have a conversation with each other.
Leave Polite Notes On Their Car (If you couldn’t find them)
If you don’t know where the owner of the car is, leave a note under the car’s wiper to let them know why you would like them to stop parking in front of your house. The note could read something like this:
“Hi there, sorry to be a bother. Could you please park further away from my front yard because of XYZ. I hope you understand. Let me know if you would like to talk about it further. My cell is xxx-xxx-xxxx”
If they think you are being unreasonable they will probably phone you and the two of you can talk through the issue.
Apply For Resident-Parking Only
A resident parking will stop your neighbors friends and family from parking in that spot but it won’t stop the neighbors themselves. Because they are also residents and will have the same right to park there as you.
This is a good solution if there are always random cars parking in front of your house but it won’t deter the neighbors.
Here’s more detail on resident parking in Pittsburg. It’s similar to most others but if you’re serious about applying, contact your local Department of City Planning.
Contacting The Police
I advise contacting the police if someone is partially or fully blocking your driveway and they refuse to move it or you can’t find them.
You should also contact the police if you truly suspect a vehicle to be abandoned. That is if you don’t know who the owner is, and the car has been in the same spot for over 72 hours.
You can also call the police if you see someone parked closer than 10 feet from a fire hydrant, if you’re lucky enough to have one outside your house.
If you see a parked car outside of your house that you don’t recognise and suspect them of participating in any unlawful behaviour, you can call the police and raise your concerns with them.
Contact the police if someone is parked in a handicapped or resident zone without a permit.
Conclusion
If you think about it carefully, parking would be an absolute nightmare if every homeowner in the city could chase you away whenever they want. When it comes to parking spaces outside your house, the law is clear, first come, first serve.
Don’t start a battle between you and your neighbors, it’s not worth it. Rather, talk to them and let them know about your concerns. Most of the time they will be cooperative.
However, if they appear to be breaking any parking laws as per this article, you’re within your rights to contact the police and report the vehicle.