My whole plan for a backyard fire pit fell apart when the city inspector showed up

I started digging a simple pit in my yard last week, about 3 feet wide. I figured it was small and safe, just for my family. The inspector saw it from the street and said I needed a permit and a 10 foot clearance from my fence, which I don't have. Everyone online says to just do it, but now I have to fill it in. Has anyone else had a simple home project get shut down by a rule they didn't know about?

3 comments

3 Comments

sageross1mo ago

My buddy tried to build a shed and the city made him tear it down.

gibson.elizabeth1mo ago

Ugh that's so frustrating. What is it with cities and their love of paperwork? I had a similar thing happen with a small deck. Spent a whole weekend on it, then got a notice. It feels like they look for reasons to stop you. You try to do something nice and safe for your family and it just blows up. Total solidarity, the permit stuff is a nightmare.

oliver_wilson4925d ago

Is it just me or do cities run on some secret quota of how many DIY projects they gotta shut down each month? My neighbor built a tiny little birdhouse once, like not even big enough for a pigeon, and someone from code enforcement showed up asking if he had a permit for "accessory structures." I swear they got nothing better to do than patrol neighborhoods with binoculars looking for unapproved 2x4s. The deck thing you mentioned is classic though, they know exactly when to hit you when you're feeling good about finishing something. Meanwhile actual dangerous stuff like that gas leak across town took three weeks for them to even return a call. Makes you wonder who's really running this circus.