It can sometimes feel like you’re one wrong move from your next traffic ticket. A couple in San Francisco weren’t even safe in front of their own house. The city’s planning department sent a $1,524 fine in 2023 to Judy and Ed Craine for parking in their driveway. After a lengthy struggle for sensibleness, the fine from the previously unenforced code was waived in August. Mayor Daniel Lurie even stated his aim to modernize restrictive property rules and prevent this from happening again.
The Craines live in a Noe Valley home built in 1910, only two years into the Ford Model T’s production run. I mention that fact to note that the car hadn’t yet become a ubiquitous method of transportation. According to KGO-TV, the San Francisco Planning Department later imposed code to prevent the neighborhood’s residents from parking in setbacks in front of houses. This was why the Craines were ticketed for parking in a carport, but their garage-having neighbors weren’t fined. Dan Sider, the department’s chief of staff, told the station that the couple’s fine was the result of an anonymous complaint. He added:
“I recognize that the property owner is frustrated. I think I would feel the same way in their situation. But the Planning Code doesn’t allow for the City to grandfather illegal uses on account of their having flown below the radar for a length of time.”
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Overwhelming evidence overturned the planning department’s fine
An aerial photo of a car parked on the concrete pad at the Craines’ address in 1958. – KGO-TV
However, the Craines could be grandfathered in if they could prove historic use before the code was enacted. A KGO viewer was able to give the couple the evidence they needed. David Ruiz, a manager of an aerial photography collection and a former U.S. Army aerial imagery analyst, found a 1958 photo showing a car on the concrete pad. The planning department accepted Ruiz’s evidence and expertise, legalizing the Caines’ carport. We can now be sure that it won’t happen to anyone else. According to SFist, the city planning commission approved Mayor Lurie’s proposal to legalize front setback parking last week. The only caveats are that no more than two vehicles can be parked in a driveway and vehicles can’t block the sidewalk.
California isn’t the only state where car owners can be targets of overreaching regulations. A city councilman in Jacksonville, Florida attempted to ban drivers from backing into their driveways. He wanted to prevent residents from avoiding citations for possessing a vehicle with up-to-date registration by keeping their license plates out of sight from patrolling police officers. While the bill made it through committee, it thankfully never passed into law. I still want to know who snitched on the Craines.
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