A DRIVER is searching for answers after a neighbor blocked the end of his driveway.
A California driver, Megan Swanson, said neighbors in her HOA consistently block her driveway, creating headaches for the homeowner and local police.
Swanson lives in a community community in Riverside, California, according to The Sun of San Bernardino.
The driver said that neighbors always double park.
Other drivers will park too close to the sidewalks – some park with a portion of their bumper overlapping the private spaces.
She wrote to the publication complaining about the constant parking problem in her community.
Read more about blocked sidewalks
“Who do we call?” she asked.
“It can be difficult to get to our garage when this happens. It’s always after business hours.”
Both parking violations are illegal, Gilbert Hernandez, a local traffic engineer, told the publication.
Drivers who park too close to a garage are subject to a parking ticket.
However, the police may not be able to regulate illegal parking during certain times.
“We sporadically receive complaints about this type of behavior,” Hernandez said.
“But it’s typically in HOA communities where enforcement may not be occurring and/or the city may not be able to come in and enforce.”
During normal business hours, HOA authorities are responsible for parking enforcement.
However, HOA drivers can call other city authorities outside of business hours.
Hernandez suggested that HOA drivers call the Riverside Police Department’s non-emergency number after hours and on weekends.
“We would love to find out where this behavior is occurring,” he added.
“We have parking service officers who can carry out enforcement after normal business hours if violations occur on public roads.”
Are you covered by law for parking on public streets?
Parking on public streets is generally legal, even in front of someone’s home, experts say.
Unless the home is in an HOA subdivision, an apartment complex with assigned spaces, or there are laws against parking during certain days or times, it is not illegal to park a vehicle in front of someone’s home on a public street.
“Generally speaking, an individual citizen does not ‘own’ or have any continuing exclusive right to use a parking space on a public street,” he wrote Nolo Legal.
“These spaces are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.”
Most states have rules against vehicles parking in the same location for 72 hours, or blocking fire hydrants, driveways, and driveways, as a vehicle parked in these spaces presents a safety risk.
HOA PARKING LAWS
Drivers were confused about parking authorities with HOA residential property models.
Several new laws have been proposed in states to clarify parking citation authority.
For example, in North Carolina, state lawmakers are considering a bill that would strip power from housing associations.
“I have witnessed the immense amount of power they have over people and it is just wrong,” Kevin Jefferson, president of North Carolina Citizens for HOA Reform, told the ABC affiliate. WSOC-TV.
“When I was on the board, I couldn’t believe we had the authority to do the things we did.”
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
