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Weird rules about what you can build and where
Randomly stumbled upon this trivia today...apparently in Carmel, California, there's a rule against wearing high heels without a permit because of uneven sidewalks. Made me wonder about other weird building or property rules out there. Like, my cousin once mentioned his town wouldn't let him build a shed unless it matched the exact color of his house. Seems kinda picky, you know? Curious if anyone else has run into quirky local building laws or codes.
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In my area, if your fence is over 4 feet tall, you actually have to submit photos of similar fences from neighbors as proof it matches the neighborhood aesthetic. Had to awkwardly snap pics of neighbors' yards...felt like a total creeper, haha.
Haha, that's a new one for me. Usually I just have to submit detailed drawings and measurements - never had to do a neighborhood photoshoot. Makes me wonder who actually reviews all these fence pics...someone's dream job?
The fence-photo requirement raises an interesting question: who decides which rules to adopt? The answer can depend on what the rule is for. Objective limits like fence height are often set through zoning or building rules, while appearance requirements may come from a local design-review process or private neighborhood covenants. That’s one reason similar projects can face different rules from one place to the next. Do towns usually publish the reasoning behind those rules alongside the requirements?