- Jurisdiction
- Iowa
Iowa, Polk County, Des Moines
On the form I don't mind sharing my address publicly because it's public knowledge per the county assessors website.
Direct to the point, how can I fight or contest these violations?
I have put a link directly to the images they sent with the supposed violations. Direct link doesn't work so here is the embeded image:
The attached documents are the letter I received.
Ok in reverse order:
Violation 3 - I don't know what the guy is talking about, the red line I marked is my property line. I believe it stretches all the way back to a fence line that you can't even see in the picture. The vehicles by that white garage are past the end of my driveway, and then there is a cheap wire fence that separates that property from mine. That is a 4 plex of apartments, and those two vehicles never move. Perhaps the car is encroaching on my property, however unless my property lines changed that isn't my property. I'm not paying the city to tow a car that isn't even on my property off another property.
Violation 1 - a tree fell down across the street from my house. The little old lady that lived there had it in her yard. The ciity gave her a warning about it and I worked as fast as I could aside from work and single father here, to cut it into pieces and get it off the street and right of way. After doing so I inquired if I could make it into a bench or a landmark and put it on the right of way on my side of the street, the city said no to my plan because the right of way is considered public property. The thought here being that I could put the trunk in my own yard...because it's my own yard! The tree has been sanded down, I shou shougi ban flame treated it, and then stained it. The bark you see was from us spinning it, and just last night in 34 degree weather I finished debarking it, now I need to finish sanding, flame treat that last spot, and then stain it and put the $200 letters and numbers on it. It's going to say McClain 2112 and be a big rustic cool looking landmark. It appears in there violation that whatever they determine to be a nuisance or unsightly is a nuisance and needs to be removed. I've worked my tail off getting that across the street, debarked, sanded, rolled, debarked again, stained, flame treated and I'm trying to make the neighborhood look better by creating a big landmark...in my yard, for my big house. Its just not finished yet.
Violation 2 - this one I don't care about so much, it's a pile of wood from the tree that fell down across the street. I thought I would store it in the backyard and then burn it up when I got my firepit installed yet due to timing and the winter, I can't build the firepit at the moment. There is also some good chunks of oak wood that could be used for many types of projects. I don't have my shed built yet either. However this wall of wood is doing something for me, behind it is that chicken wire fence that is separating my yard from that apartment/house 4plex, and aside that white garage are 4 tires not on a vehicle, a metal spring frame...just the metal, and a bunch of other garbage on their property that I don't want to look at. Therefore it's a multipurpose pile of wood. It's firewood, it's project wood, and it's a privacy wall against the mess on the other side.
How can I dispute these violations?
The most important is the trunk since I've worked so hard on that, its so unsightly that a week ago a woman walking her dog took a selfie of it behind her with it. I get asked about it by a lot of people and my neighbor likes it to. I don't get how they can tell me I can't have a cool sanded down rustic landmark in my own yard. It's not dangerous either, it's 600 to 800 lbs, and takes 3 people a large amount to even roll it, let alone move it at all. Like I said it's sanded, so there is no sharp pieces of wood I have a 6 year old son who lives with me so it's not like I would endanger him. Squirrels sit on it and eat walnuts, and there is a cored hole on one side of it that I wanted to plant asiatic lilacs out of, like a crawling pretty lilac.
I'm upset, do I need an attorney, how do I voice my complaint about this complaint, what can I do?
Thank you in advance.
Photo by 1patrickmcclain
On the form I don't mind sharing my address publicly because it's public knowledge per the county assessors website.
Direct to the point, how can I fight or contest these violations?
I have put a link directly to the images they sent with the supposed violations. Direct link doesn't work so here is the embeded image:
The attached documents are the letter I received.
Ok in reverse order:
Violation 3 - I don't know what the guy is talking about, the red line I marked is my property line. I believe it stretches all the way back to a fence line that you can't even see in the picture. The vehicles by that white garage are past the end of my driveway, and then there is a cheap wire fence that separates that property from mine. That is a 4 plex of apartments, and those two vehicles never move. Perhaps the car is encroaching on my property, however unless my property lines changed that isn't my property. I'm not paying the city to tow a car that isn't even on my property off another property.
Violation 1 - a tree fell down across the street from my house. The little old lady that lived there had it in her yard. The ciity gave her a warning about it and I worked as fast as I could aside from work and single father here, to cut it into pieces and get it off the street and right of way. After doing so I inquired if I could make it into a bench or a landmark and put it on the right of way on my side of the street, the city said no to my plan because the right of way is considered public property. The thought here being that I could put the trunk in my own yard...because it's my own yard! The tree has been sanded down, I shou shougi ban flame treated it, and then stained it. The bark you see was from us spinning it, and just last night in 34 degree weather I finished debarking it, now I need to finish sanding, flame treat that last spot, and then stain it and put the $200 letters and numbers on it. It's going to say McClain 2112 and be a big rustic cool looking landmark. It appears in there violation that whatever they determine to be a nuisance or unsightly is a nuisance and needs to be removed. I've worked my tail off getting that across the street, debarked, sanded, rolled, debarked again, stained, flame treated and I'm trying to make the neighborhood look better by creating a big landmark...in my yard, for my big house. Its just not finished yet.
Violation 2 - this one I don't care about so much, it's a pile of wood from the tree that fell down across the street. I thought I would store it in the backyard and then burn it up when I got my firepit installed yet due to timing and the winter, I can't build the firepit at the moment. There is also some good chunks of oak wood that could be used for many types of projects. I don't have my shed built yet either. However this wall of wood is doing something for me, behind it is that chicken wire fence that is separating my yard from that apartment/house 4plex, and aside that white garage are 4 tires not on a vehicle, a metal spring frame...just the metal, and a bunch of other garbage on their property that I don't want to look at. Therefore it's a multipurpose pile of wood. It's firewood, it's project wood, and it's a privacy wall against the mess on the other side.
How can I dispute these violations?
The most important is the trunk since I've worked so hard on that, its so unsightly that a week ago a woman walking her dog took a selfie of it behind her with it. I get asked about it by a lot of people and my neighbor likes it to. I don't get how they can tell me I can't have a cool sanded down rustic landmark in my own yard. It's not dangerous either, it's 600 to 800 lbs, and takes 3 people a large amount to even roll it, let alone move it at all. Like I said it's sanded, so there is no sharp pieces of wood I have a 6 year old son who lives with me so it's not like I would endanger him. Squirrels sit on it and eat walnuts, and there is a cored hole on one side of it that I wanted to plant asiatic lilacs out of, like a crawling pretty lilac.
I'm upset, do I need an attorney, how do I voice my complaint about this complaint, what can I do?
Thank you in advance.
Photo by 1patrickmcclain
