Friday, March 4, 2011

California: County Tells Man He Can't Park Truck In His Own Driveway

SACRAMENTO, CA - Never mind the twin infant seats in the back-- a plumber who parks his heavy-duty pickup truck in his driveway has been told by Sacramento County to find someplace else to put it.

"I think it's crazy," said Jonas Clark, the sole proprietor of US Trenchless, who received a code enforcement notice warning against commercial activity in a residential zone. Clark lives in the unincorporated Arden Arcade community.

According to the Sacramento County Zoning Code, unlawful activity in a residential zone includes parking commercial vehicles with a gross vehicle weight rating exceeding 10,000 pounds.

Clark's Ford F-450 Lariat has a rated capacity nearly twice the county's limit, but it's also his family vehicle. The notice said he would be liable for a $470 inspection fee if the violation is not corrected, with additional penalties for continuing violations.

The county code exempts heavy vehicles that are not used in commerce or agriculture, such as heavy pickups that tow camping trailers.

Sacramento County Code Enforcement program manager Tammy Derby said company markings on Clark's truck and a pipe rack in the back clearly identify the vehicle as a work truck, regardless of its other uses.

"He's going to have to locate that vehicle somewhere else," she said.

Derby said enforcement is complaint-based, and that the county does not actively search for heavy commercial vehicles in driveways.

Clark said he planned the sell the F-450 and buy a smaller vehicle that he could park at home.

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