{"id":13464,"date":"2021-08-15T08:19:03","date_gmt":"2021-08-15T08:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alternatech.net\/?p=13464"},"modified":"2021-08-15T08:19:03","modified_gmt":"2021-08-15T08:19:03","slug":"surprising-things-a-homeowner-can-be-fined-for","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/surprising-things-a-homeowner-can-be-fined-for\/","title":{"rendered":"Surprising Things a Homeowner Can Be Fined For"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style='\"text-align:' right>By Jamie Birdwell-Branson\n</p><p>As a homeowner, you have the responsibility to keep your home safe, clean, and in compliance with city ordinances. While you may already be aware that you\u2019re not supposed to let your grass get too tall, there are other common code violations that you should know about so you can avoid getting a hefty fine from your city. Want to get the city off your back? Here are the 10 most surprising things a homeowner can be fined for.\n</p><h2>Missing or Loose Handrails on Stairs or Decks\n</h2><p>Handrails are more than just a decorative feature on your staircase\u2014they\u2019re usually legally required for safety reasons. If you have outdoor steps that have an unsecured handrail or no handrail at all, your city may have the right to fine you until you get it fixed.\n</p><p><img fetchpriority='\"high\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"size-full' wp-image-13468 aligncenter src="%5C%22http:%5C/%5C/alternatech.net%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/08%5C/homeowner_fines_loose_handrail-1.jpeg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"600\"' height='\"434\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/homeowner_fines_loose_handrail-1.jpeg' https: sizes='\"(max-width:'>\n</p><h2>Obstructing Your Address Number\n</h2><p>If you\u2019re a fan of the \u201cmore is more\u201d approach to your yard, just be careful not to let your landscaping get so lush that it obstructs your address number. Obstructed address numbers are a violation of code compliance because the fire, police, and ambulance personnel need to be able to identify your home in case of an emergency.\n</p><p><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"size-full' wp-image-13467 aligncenter src="%5C%22http:%5C/%5C/alternatech.net%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/08%5C/homeowner_fines_loose_handrail.jpeg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"600\"' height='\"434\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/homeowner_fines_loose_handrail.jpeg' https: sizes='\"(max-width:'>\n</p><h2>Clotheslines in the Front Yard\n</h2><p>Hanging clothes to dry is a more environmentally friendly way to do laundry, but many cities\u2014like the city of Southgate, California\u2014frown upon stringing a clothesline in the front yard. So, if you must hang laundry out to dry, do it in the backyard to avoid a violation.\n</p><p><img decoding='\"async\"' class='\"size-full' wp-image-13466 aligncenter src="%5C%22http:%5C/%5C/alternatech.net%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/08%5C/outdoor-clothesline-homeowner-fines.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"600\"' height='\"435\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/outdoor-clothesline-homeowner-fines.jpg' https: sizes='\"(max-width:'>\n</p><h2>Stagnant Water\n</h2><p>Heavy rains or flooding can cause puddles to form in your yard, in buckets or in other outdoor containers\u2014but did you know that you can get in trouble if you let that water sit for too long? Stagnant water is not only unsightly, but it can also be a breeding ground for disease-carrying mosquitos, which poses a health risk for you and your neighborhood.\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"size-full' wp-image-13465 aligncenter src="%5C%22http:%5C/%5C/alternatech.net%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/08%5C/stagnant-water-homeowner-fines.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"600\"' height='\"435\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/stagnant-water-homeowner-fines.jpg' https: sizes='\"(max-width:'>\n</p><h2>Broken Windows\n</h2><p>If a neighbor kid hit your front window with a baseball, you may not want to sit on it for too long. Broken windows cause more than a dicey appearance, drafty interior, and a security risk\u2014they may be illegal and result in you being hit with a hefty fine.\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"size-full' wp-image-13469 aligncenter src="%5C%22http:%5C/%5C/alternatech.net%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/08%5C/broken-window-homeowner-fines.jpg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"600\"' height='\"435\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/broken-window-homeowner-fines.jpg' https: sizes='\"(max-width:'>\n</p><h2>Putting Your Garbage Can Out Too Early\n</h2><p>You may think that getting your trash can and recycling bins out to the curb early makes you a responsible homeowner, but think again. In towns like Hallandale Beach, Florida, getting your bins out to the curb before 6 p.m. the preceding day of pickup can result in a fine.\n</p><p><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"size-full' wp-image-13470 aligncenter src="%5C%22http:%5C/%5C/alternatech.net%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2021%5C/08%5C/homeowner_fines_trash_can.jpeg%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"600\"' height='\"435\"' srcset='\"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/homeowner_fines_trash_can.jpeg' https: sizes='\"(max-width:'>\n</p><p>&nbsp;\n</p><p>&nbsp;\n</p><p>&nbsp;\n</p><p>&nbsp;\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"</p><p>By Jamie Birdwell-Branson As a homeowner, you have the responsibility to keep your home safe, clean, and in compliance with city ordinances. While you may already be aware that you\u2019re not supposed to let your grass get too tall, there are other common code violations that you should know about so you can avoid getting\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[100,96,63,46,6,31],"class_list":{"0":"post-13464","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tie-life-style","8":"tag-diy","9":"tag-diy-home","10":"tag-diy-home-repairs","11":"tag-life-hacks","12":"tag-life-style","13":"tag-tips"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/Healthy-Salad-How-To-YouTube-Thumbnail-3.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13464"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13464\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13464"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/legendstitch.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</p>