Zoning by-laws what a load of Crap

[John Bacon]

You dont need a permit to re-pave your driveway, now if you made it larger then existing, you better hope you have good neighbours that wont rat you out, or you'll be in the same boat as the original poster.

 

Permits are required to repave a driveway in Toronto. This is the first year that is being rigourisly enforced.

[Cookslav]

Ya...Bylaws & Permits can be ridiculous sometimes.

 

I installed a Woodstove this year,

"somebody" didn't like the look of my Chimney(beatuifull stainless, double wall stove pipe...)

So the Bylaw guy came by, said I needed a Permit...news to me, as I've installed 2 before.

So down to City hall I go...

Apparently the codes have changed and now I need to install an HRV unit in order to install wood stove.(heat recovery vent)

So in other words a simple air return system to equalize the pressure is no longer good enough...I need to HEAT my return air.

I battled with the office for a while and eventually found a loop hole.

I needed to PROVE with an EXTERNAL licensed vendor that I had adequet return air as it was not code that the air must be heated.

So I end up paying R.E.E.P to come perform a Blower test and all is good($350 later, but it beats the heck out of a $3000 HRV)

 

So the Inspector comes...looks at the blower test result, looks at the placement of the stove and approves me!

No Clearance meausurments, the guy didn't even have a measureing tape on him, no chimney inspection...nothing

 

So riddle me this Batman...

If I need the Fire dept to inspect my stove for safety certification before the insurance company will insure me, what business does the city have with inspecting my fireplace?

 

Nothing but a cash Grab...$100 permit, and $350 to R.E.E.P (both operated by the municipality) and they appease the tree huggers by making an HRV part of the code(to bad for them I found a loop hole!)

Edited August 27, 2009 by Cookslav

[Headhunter]

Well, if they force me to get a permit, even though it was a simple replacement, nothing added, I guess I'll invoice the city for the amount I paid to have the boulevard portion of the driveway paved... because let's face it, I don't own that portion of land!

HH

[Ziki]

Not surprising this is the first result when googling "paving permit"

 

$127 paving permit called cash grab

[Cookslav]

Yup...

They won't pay on some exuse that it wasn't approved or somthing like that.

I swear the Bylaw officers get commision in K/W LOL....

 

This same Bylaw officer that came also checked to see if I had a permit for my Deck while he was here(luckily I did get one)

And also nailed our Neighbors for their deck which must now be basically torn down to make a long story short...

 

I don't beleive Permits are required for Driveways here though?

If the do they would be sitting on a gold mine should they come back to my street...

I organized the Paving of 8 driveways, and in turn they ended up selling their services to 4 more homes on this street, non of which was done with a permit.

 

I want out of the city so bad...

But the Wife is a city gal so I'm stuck.

 

My Property taxes go up and up on a yearly basis, yet services are cut...

When I was young we raked the leaves to the curb, and the city picked them up...not any more.

Now yard waste must be bagged and is only picked up every 2 weeks.

They used to send the street cleaners through almost monthly through the spring, summer and Fall...I have not seen one in 3 years

They used to plow my street after every major snow fall...now it sometimes takes weeks to clean up the mess.

 

What I don't understand is the increasing taxes, and permit fees etc...?

As more and more homes are built, more and more people are moving into the city and paying taxes...

There are WAY more tax dollars comming in, and less services?

A single neighborhood street with 100 homes paying $3000/year in taxes gives the city $300,000 in YEARLY taxes.

There is NO WAY snow removal, hydro for the street lamps, garbage pick up, general yearly Maintence of the street, storm Water/sewer services is going to cost any where near $300K a year...

And truthfully My taxes are actually closer $4,000/year, and there are 300 houses on my street.

 

And then I get dinged with Useless Permits to boot...

I get that "some" bylaws, and permits are valid for protection of public saftey, and perhaps even the potential Devaluation of neighborhood homes but geeeze....a Permit for a wood stove when you have to have it inspected by the Fire dept any way?

Thats a cash grab

 

Like I said...I want out of the city.

[LeXXington]

And then I get dinged with Useless Permits to boot...

I get that "some" bylaws, and permits are valid for protection of public saftey, and perhaps even the potential Devaluation of neighborhood homes but geeeze....a Permit for a wood stove when you have to have it inspected by the Fire dept any way?

Thats a cash grab

 

Like I said...I want out of the city.

 

They are making by-laws now just to make you conform too someone else standard. ~YES COMRAD

 

There was a big joke on the radio today that some towns have by-laws for using power tools outside on Sunday!!

 

You think its only bad in the city,, I bought some land, the town provides NO services too me other than maybe plowing the road yet I have too conform to by-laws for the local town??

 

Problem is goverement is over stepping their bounds, and have the law too enforce it. When that tell you too pay more try telling them no.

[Lunatic]

Yup...

They won't pay on some exuse that it wasn't approved or somthing like that.

I swear the Bylaw officers get commision in K/W LOL....

 

This same Bylaw officer that came also checked to see if I had a permit for my Deck while he was here(luckily I did get one)

And also nailed our Neighbors for their deck which must now be basically torn down to make a long story short...

 

I don't beleive Permits are required for Driveways here though?

If the do they would be sitting on a gold mine should they come back to my street...

I organized the Paving of 8 driveways, and in turn they ended up selling their services to 4 more homes on this street, non of which was done with a permit.

 

I want out of the city so bad...

But the Wife is a city gal so I'm stuck.

 

My Property taxes go up and up on a yearly basis, yet services are cut...

When I was young we raked the leaves to the curb, and the city picked them up...not any more.

Now yard waste must be bagged and is only picked up every 2 weeks.

They used to send the street cleaners through almost monthly through the spring, summer and Fall...I have not seen one in 3 years

They used to plow my street after every major snow fall...now it sometimes takes weeks to clean up the mess.

 

What I don't understand is the increasing taxes, and permit fees etc...?

As more and more homes are built, more and more people are moving into the city and paying taxes...

There are WAY more tax dollars comming in, and less services?

A single neighborhood street with 100 homes paying $3000/year in taxes gives the city $300,000 in YEARLY taxes.

There is NO WAY snow removal, hydro for the street lamps, garbage pick up, general yearly Maintence of the street, storm Water/sewer services is going to cost any where near $300K a year...

And truthfully My taxes are actually closer $4,000/year, and there are 300 houses on my street.

 

And then I get dinged with Useless Permits to boot...

I get that "some" bylaws, and permits are valid for protection of public saftey, and perhaps even the potential Devaluation of neighborhood homes but geeeze....a Permit for a wood stove when you have to have it inspected by the Fire dept any way?

Thats a cash grab

 

Like I said...I want out of the city.

We've been going thru the same crap for years. used to get snow removal now we dont etc.

 

Here is an interesting story... a few years ago we got hit hard with snow during the night. I wake up early for work 5:30am,look out the window...wow,lots of snow. have a shower,start making breakfast,look out the window,lots of snow...no plows,hmm...oh well, go to leave and 4 or 5 neighbours are stuck on the street trying to go to work, hmmm ,whats one more car, i launch out the drive-way and make it half way down the small road we live on and i get stuck, all of us end up stuck for about 3 hours and in the end we shoveled ourselves out and we had all called in to work not gonna make it today. i finally get off the road and i park it, i walk back to the house sit around for a few hours, still no plows. so i call a friend and decide to go to a high performance car part store,pick up some stuff, as i drive to his place to pick him up i drive by many roads and none of them are plowed...hmmm the main roads are plowed. i have to drive by a welfare neighbourhood (anyone in hamilton will know Oreol cresent) its completely cleaned out and plowed, townhouses,and apartment.......what the hell. the roads around it...plowed, what the hell? i pick up said friend and tell him about it and he says its like that all the time no one can figure it out. so we decide to drive to another welfare area, and its cleaned up and plowed.

 

I remember this to this day because these people have no jobs. most,no cars. Where do they have to go that they become first priority?

 

btw- we didnt get snow removal untill the 3rd day after the snowfall.

 

 

other notable cash grab Bull artists: lawyers/dentists/insurance compaines, oh and my new enemy, conservation areas lol

[bigfish1965]

When I lived in Fonthill, it was all pretty straight forward stuff..nobody really cared what the neighbour did and likely most of us were violating an ordinance or two, but we all had big lots ( 1 acre ) and backed onto farms.

The town actually go tired of responding to burn complaints for people burning leaves or having bonfires, so the legalized it instead... just had to do leaf burning during daylight hours and bonfires were fine as long as you had a designated pit or chiminea.

Now St Catharines has more rules, but everyone on the street seems to be on the same page. We each have a small fire pit, we all keep our dogs in after 11 PM, we don't care how tall your fence is, we check with our neighbours before we build anything and basically keep the town out of it. We have bylaws for building new things but not much for replacing or repairing existing things. The city came by after my neighbour redid his porch and asked me what was there before...I said looks the same to me....the officer said their records indicate the porch was much smaller before...I said it probably looked that way cause of the trees...lol. He left satisfied with that answer, even though it made no sense.

[Fish4Eyes]

Its a good thing you have good neighbours Rick. We started to build our shed and the neighbour complained that it was too close to her fence, so we had to demolish it, good thing we only poured in the concrete on the posts.

[bigfish1965]

Its a good thing you have good neighbours Rick. We started to build our shed and the neighbour complained that it was too close to her fence, so we had to demolish it, good thing we only poured in the concrete on the posts.

 

Yes....the only worse than rules that make no sense are people that don't. IMHO my neighbours property is his own, to do with as he pleases. What difference can it possibly make how close a shed is to a fence? Isn't it better closer so you don't have to worry about that little strip of land growing huge weeds cause you can't mow it??

Manure is legal in almost every town since they banned most pesticides and fertilizers. Maybe a fresh coating of well aged manure on your flower beds is in order...lol.

[SBCregal]

i believe most of the bylaws regarding buildings near the property line have to do with water runoff and drainage etc. i'm pretty sure you can build closer to the property line if the shed/building has eavestroughs for the rainwater.

 

ryan

[fishermccann]

Lots of things that you don't see are paid out of your taxes, eg. civic nursing homes, animal control etc.

[CLofchik]

Lots of things that you don't see are paid out of your taxes, eg. civic nursing homes, animal control etc.

 

...Welfare and social services that have been downloaded...

 

Lol the reason the subsidized housing folks get plowed first is because those are the people that know how to play the system. Heck one minute past the deadline for snow removal there would be a down right bottleneck of slip & falls from people trying to sue the city!

[Dara]

Manure is legal in almost every town since they banned most pesticides and fertilizers. Maybe a fresh coating of well aged manure on your flower beds is in order...lol.

 

 

I have an idiot for a neighbor. You just gave me a real good idea