brin
Super Member
Maybe it is all part of a reality show and it has all been a joke ? LOL
At Home In The Woods
- Thread starter Obed
- Start date
- Views: 1597786
dave1949
Super Star Member
I don't know, there was a lot of literary foreshadowing regarding the neighbors in the yellow house, the new roof, etc. 
Dave.
Dave.
dcyrilc
Elite Member
Currently, I think he's sitting back reading all our posts and enjoying a good chuckle while he keeps us in suspense. After all, we're all hooked and hanging on every word now.
How 'bout it OBED, any tidbits to throw us tonight to keep us drooling?
How 'bout it OBED, any tidbits to throw us tonight to keep us drooling?
OP
Obed
Elite Member
How We Got Evicted! Part 2
Two months after we moved the camper onto the lot, we got a notice in the mailbox that there was a certified letter at the post office. The notice worried my wife to death. We picked up the letter; it was addressed to our landlady. So we gave the letter to our landlady. The letter was from the Knox County Zoning Office and claimed we were in violation of the zoning ordinance by residing in a camper. The letter referenced a section in the zoning ordinance. We were to move out of the camper immediately.
I got online and downloaded a copy of the zoning ordinance. The paragragh referenced by the certified letter was for properties zoned "Residential". However, our lot was zoned "Agriculture", not "Residential". A few days later, my wife and I showed up at the zoning officer's office early and waited for her to arrive. We were at our best behavior and were hoping for leniency. The zoning officer explained that someone had called to complain that we were living in an RV. The complaint was called in over the phone during the first week we moved the camper onto the lot. We asked the zoning officer who complained and she said she couldn't remember. I asked her as nicely as I could about the paragragh she had referenced in the letter. I explained that our lot was zoned Agriculture and that the referenced paragragh was for Residential zoning and asked how that paragragh could apply to us. She responded that since farms have houses, the zoning office can apply restrictions in the Residential zoning section of the ordinance to Agriculture zoning. Although I didn't buy this reasoning at all, I held my tongue. We explained that we were waiting for my job to turn permanent and intended to seek permanent housing at that time. She told us that if nobody else complained that she would not enforce the certified letter. However, if someone called again and complained, we would have to move out of the camper.
This situation bothered my wife deeply. For the next several months she was worried that we would get another certified letter in the mail. Our options for living in the camper were very limited. According to the zoning officer, the only places in the county where we could live in a camper would be in an RV park. We couldn't even move the camper into a mobile home trailer park unless it was zoned as an RV park. We would essentially have to move out of the county into an RV park and commute to work. In addtion we had the storage trailer to deal with. We have a chest freezer in the storage trailer that contains our garden produce. It would be very tough to find a place where we could put both the camper and the storage trailer. We would most likely end up renting a house if we got evicted.
I decided that if the zoning office tried to evict us that I would get a lawyer and fight them. The cost of just a few months of renting a house could easily pay the legal fees to fight this thing. And based on the fact that the zoning office was applying a Residential zoning restriction to an Agriculture zoned lot as the basis for the eviction seemed to me that we would have a good chance in winning a legal battle. I perused the zoning ordinance in detail and became more and more convinced that the zoning beaurocrats were making up rules that were not backed up by law. Just think about it. If you accept the zoning officer's argument that Residential restrictions can be applied to Agriculture zonings, then farmers would not be able to farm. The Residential section of the ordinance forbids the storage of trailers and farm equipment on the property and bans the keeping of farm animals. So basically if a farm included a house and Residential rules were applied, then the farm would be subject to the same restrictions as a subdivision. That seems to me to be absolutely ludicrous.
Two months after we moved the camper onto the lot, we got a notice in the mailbox that there was a certified letter at the post office. The notice worried my wife to death. We picked up the letter; it was addressed to our landlady. So we gave the letter to our landlady. The letter was from the Knox County Zoning Office and claimed we were in violation of the zoning ordinance by residing in a camper. The letter referenced a section in the zoning ordinance. We were to move out of the camper immediately.
I got online and downloaded a copy of the zoning ordinance. The paragragh referenced by the certified letter was for properties zoned "Residential". However, our lot was zoned "Agriculture", not "Residential". A few days later, my wife and I showed up at the zoning officer's office early and waited for her to arrive. We were at our best behavior and were hoping for leniency. The zoning officer explained that someone had called to complain that we were living in an RV. The complaint was called in over the phone during the first week we moved the camper onto the lot. We asked the zoning officer who complained and she said she couldn't remember. I asked her as nicely as I could about the paragragh she had referenced in the letter. I explained that our lot was zoned Agriculture and that the referenced paragragh was for Residential zoning and asked how that paragragh could apply to us. She responded that since farms have houses, the zoning office can apply restrictions in the Residential zoning section of the ordinance to Agriculture zoning. Although I didn't buy this reasoning at all, I held my tongue. We explained that we were waiting for my job to turn permanent and intended to seek permanent housing at that time. She told us that if nobody else complained that she would not enforce the certified letter. However, if someone called again and complained, we would have to move out of the camper.
This situation bothered my wife deeply. For the next several months she was worried that we would get another certified letter in the mail. Our options for living in the camper were very limited. According to the zoning officer, the only places in the county where we could live in a camper would be in an RV park. We couldn't even move the camper into a mobile home trailer park unless it was zoned as an RV park. We would essentially have to move out of the county into an RV park and commute to work. In addtion we had the storage trailer to deal with. We have a chest freezer in the storage trailer that contains our garden produce. It would be very tough to find a place where we could put both the camper and the storage trailer. We would most likely end up renting a house if we got evicted.
I decided that if the zoning office tried to evict us that I would get a lawyer and fight them. The cost of just a few months of renting a house could easily pay the legal fees to fight this thing. And based on the fact that the zoning office was applying a Residential zoning restriction to an Agriculture zoned lot as the basis for the eviction seemed to me that we would have a good chance in winning a legal battle. I perused the zoning ordinance in detail and became more and more convinced that the zoning beaurocrats were making up rules that were not backed up by law. Just think about it. If you accept the zoning officer's argument that Residential restrictions can be applied to Agriculture zonings, then farmers would not be able to farm. The Residential section of the ordinance forbids the storage of trailers and farm equipment on the property and bans the keeping of farm animals. So basically if a farm included a house and Residential rules were applied, then the farm would be subject to the same restrictions as a subdivision. That seems to me to be absolutely ludicrous.
2manyrocks
Super Member
- Joined
- Jul 28, 2007
- Messages
- 8,669
My first reaction is to fight them if they push it. By the time they get a final court order, if they can get one at all, your house should be done.
Second reaction is that some busybody needs to mind their own business.
Third reaction is that the zoning people need to know what the law is versus what they think it might or might not be. Seems like they never want to admit to a mistake.
As cold and yuck as the weather has been in Middle Tenn in January, I was wondering how your construction was coming along in East Tenn.
Second reaction is that some busybody needs to mind their own business.
Third reaction is that the zoning people need to know what the law is versus what they think it might or might not be. Seems like they never want to admit to a mistake.
As cold and yuck as the weather has been in Middle Tenn in January, I was wondering how your construction was coming along in East Tenn.
dcyrilc
Elite Member
My experiance is that they try to bend it to be what they want it to be rather than going by what it says.
Regulations, regulations. Gotta love regulations and bureaucrats.
I would've looked for the loophole. For example, move the camper for one night. There is probably a time limit on how long you can keep a camper there. Move it one night, clock starts over. Or move it ten feet or twenty feet. Or taken the wheels off-mobile home/rv no more. Etc. Etc. Or done nothing while the yellow tape guys are busy with their paperwork.
And let me guess-the neighbors turned you in. They probably did not want you cleaning the property up because they wanted to buy it on the cheap. Lesson learned.
I would've looked for the loophole. For example, move the camper for one night. There is probably a time limit on how long you can keep a camper there. Move it one night, clock starts over. Or move it ten feet or twenty feet. Or taken the wheels off-mobile home/rv no more. Etc. Etc. Or done nothing while the yellow tape guys are busy with their paperwork.
And let me guess-the neighbors turned you in. They probably did not want you cleaning the property up because they wanted to buy it on the cheap. Lesson learned.
EddieWalker
Epic Contributor
I've found that out in the county, with such small budgets, there is allot of bluffing and threatening, but very little enforcement. If they can scare you into doing what they want, then they have done all they are going to do. Ignore them, or agree with them and do nothing will usually give you the same results.
I know a guy who works for the state to ensure water quality. He's responsible for two counties all by himself. The office is split up the same way and everyone covers a massive area. They work solely on complaints and go to as many as they can, but with budget issues, they are limited on hours worked and gas used.
When they find a problem, they right it up, issue fines and threaten to close down business's. What post people don't know is there isn't a way to enforce any of their laws. If somebody ignores them, and most do, they have to get some other agency involved and convince them to do something about it. Usually they have too much to do already, so nothing happens.
Eddie
I know a guy who works for the state to ensure water quality. He's responsible for two counties all by himself. The office is split up the same way and everyone covers a massive area. They work solely on complaints and go to as many as they can, but with budget issues, they are limited on hours worked and gas used.
When they find a problem, they right it up, issue fines and threaten to close down business's. What post people don't know is there isn't a way to enforce any of their laws. If somebody ignores them, and most do, they have to get some other agency involved and convince them to do something about it. Usually they have too much to do already, so nothing happens.
Eddie
OP
Obed
Elite Member
Here are the latest pictures. The pictures of the inside of the house were taken when I was standing at the door between the garage and kitchen. For the first inside pictures you are looking at the front wall of the house. I took the pictures moving around clockwise until you are looking at the back wall of the house.
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