# Man nearly ticketed for washing car in his driveway.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [December 22, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931 "2013-12-22T02:15:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/1 "2013-12-22T02:15:14Z")
It wasn’t about water conservation. Apparently doing any work on your car in public is prohibited. Man what a shitty town to live in. 😛
> **[Video Goes Viral After Garden City Cop Threatens To Ticket Man Washing Car In...](https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/video-goes-viral-after-cop-threatens-to-ticket-man-washing-his-car-on-long-island/)**
>
> The 24-year-old said he was washing his 1997 Volkswagen in his driveway when a police officer told him he wasn't allowed to do that.
> [@](#):
>
> “What is that? Doing any kind of work here or any kind of detailing, like washing the car — things like that you are not allowed to do,” the police officer said.
>
> The officer said although the car wasn’t going to be washed in the street, which is illegal, washing it in the driveway would still be in the public’s view, Hall reported. No one received a ticket during the ordeal and The Garden City Police Department had no comment about the incident.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/2 "2013-12-22T02:27:01Z")
Apparently it was some neighbor complaining. :rolleyes:
> **[Neighbor Calls Police on Man in Garden City for Washing His Car](https://www.longisland.com/news/12-19-13/neighbor-calls-police-garden-city-washing-car.html)**
>
> A police officer paid a pair of Garden City residents a visit to enforce on unusual law prohibiting the washing of cars in public places.
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### Author:  [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/3 "2013-12-22T03:19:43Z")
What’s the solution to that ridiculous ordinance? Where are Long Island residents supposed to wash their cars?
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### Author:  [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/4 "2013-12-22T03:54:43Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> What’s the solution to that ridiculous ordinance? Where are Long Island residents supposed to wash their cars?
The maid is suppose to drive it to a car wash during her lunch break.
I’d like to know if there is a police code for that. “we have a code 1213 in progress at 13 twelfth street”. “swarm, swarm”.
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### Author:  [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/5 "2013-12-22T15:58:37Z")
In my town it is illegal to grow vegetables on the front lawns. I the city of Montreal, you get a time for trash pickup and cannot put your stuff out more than an hour before and must pick up your cans within an hour after. So almost everybody uses only plastic bags and many have to pay someone to put their trash out. Also newspaper boxes are banned. I can’t stand these laws.
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/6 "2013-12-22T16:11:22Z")
I have heard of ordinances prohibiting extensive mechanic work in the driveway. They don’t want cars on jack stands for several days. A quick oil change is probably ok. I can understand that. The homeowner’s garage is the best place for mechanic work.
Washing cars on a Sat morning is a ritual in the suburbs. I’ve seen several neighbors on my parents street washing their cars. It’s kind of funny seeing them all out their with their buckets and hose.
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### Author:  [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/7 "2013-12-22T18:50:00Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#):
>
> In my town it is illegal to grow vegetables on the front lawns.
I’ve seen pictures in gardening magazines from people who lived in places with rules like this, and they grew all kinds of edible ornamentals and nobody was the wiser. Nasturtiums, runner beans, kale, blueberries - yes, you can grow a LOT of food in your front yard. 🆒
I guess they don’t want cornstalks in the front yard, that kind of thing.
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### Author:  [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/8 "2013-12-22T19:47:15Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> Apparently it was some neighbor complaining. :rolleyes:
> [http://www.longisland.com/news/12-19-13/neighbor-calls-police-garden-city-washing-car.html](http://www.longisland.com/news/12-19-13/neighbor-calls-police-garden-city-washing-car.html)
It usually is. Although the fact that the video was rolling before there was even any interaction makes me wonder.
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### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/9 "2013-12-22T20:25:03Z")
> [@aceplace57](#):
>
> It’s kind of funny seeing them all out their with their buckets and hose.
It certainly sounds funny. Were they in doublets too?
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### Author:  [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/10 "2013-12-22T20:33:26Z")
Don’t forget the funny Hats. 😉
[ ](http://www.tudorshoppe.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/DukesDoublet2_edited.jpg)
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### Author:  [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)
#### Post date: [December 22, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/11 "2013-12-22T21:36:51Z")
My car is an '02. This thread reminds me I should probably have washed it by now.
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### Author:  [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2013, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/12 "2013-12-23T18:22:24Z")
Why? Wasn’t it clean when you bought it?
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### Author:  [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2013, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/13 "2013-12-23T18:55:33Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#):
>
> What’s the solution to that ridiculous ordinance? Where are Long Island residents supposed to wash their cars?
They’re supposed to take it down the road and let 4 dudes from Honduras do it at the car wash.
Garden City is a wealthy, ritzy, white, conservative enclave. Work is for the little brown people.
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### Author:  [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)
#### Post date: [December 23, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/14 "2013-12-23T19:06:10Z")
Before buying a home or other property, you really want to see if there’s a restrictive deed covenant. The subdivision I live in states that you can’t work on cars outside; however, you can work on a car in a garage and wash said car outside. There’s other rules like the placement of fences; storage of boats and RVs; even outdoor antennas.
The covenant is only as good as someone wanting to enforce it in court. However we had one neighbor mad at another and went to court. One neighbor had to put his RV in storage instead of parking it in the street while the other had to move a shed.
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### Author:  [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2013, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/15 "2013-12-27T00:36:54Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#):
>
> Why? Wasn’t it clean when you bought it?
I really don’t remember. I’m not sure I ever checked.
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### Author:  [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2013, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/16 "2013-12-27T00:41:57Z")
The moment I found out it was due to a neighbor’s complaint, I’d be inviting every goddamned one of my friends over, on different days, to wash their cars in my driveway. And I’d wash my own car about 3-4 times a week.
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### Author:  [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2013, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/17 "2013-12-27T01:07:44Z")
> [@Chimera](#):
>
> The moment I found out it was due to a neighbor’s complaint, I’d be inviting every goddamned one of my friends over, on different days, to wash their cars in my driveway. And I’d wash my own car about 3-4 times a week.
Hire some bikini clad young ladies to do the actual washing.
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### Author:  [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2013, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/18 "2013-12-27T01:23:14Z")
> [@JerrySTL](#):
>
> Before buying a home or other property, you really want to see if there’s a restrictive deed covenant. The subdivision I live in states that you can’t work on cars outside; however, you can work on a car in a garage and wash said car outside. There’s other rules like the placement of fences; storage of boats and RVs; even outdoor antennas.
>
> The covenant is only as good as someone wanting to enforce it in court. However we had one neighbor mad at another and went to court. One neighbor had to put his RV in storage instead of parking it in the street while the other had to move a shed.
It’s always a neighbor , and it’s almost always a neighbor who is mad at you, justifiably or not. Probably every city or town has little-known or enforced rules that can be used by neighbors in this way. My city prohibits parking a vehicle for on the street for more than 7 consecutive days, but there aren’t traffic agents taking photos of the parked cars every day just in case they haven’t moved. I have a neighbor with an old car- it’s a 1970’s Nova. He thinks it’s worth something and keeps it registered and insured, but it doesn’t run. He literally moves it only when the street is getting torn up and there is so much debris ( branches, litter and leaves) under it that it’s obvious it hasn’t been moved. One day (perhaps after the owner of the property he’s parked in front of gets a ticket for not cleaning the street in front of his property) someone will call and report it- but until then he won’t get a ticket.
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### Author:  [@burunduk34](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burunduk34)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/19 "2013-12-27T01:39:35Z")
Man ticketed for (not) smoking.
[http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6ea\_1387991405](http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6ea_1387991405)
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### Author:  [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2013, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/man-nearly-ticketed-for-washing-car-in-his-driveway/676931/20 "2013-12-27T01:43:17Z")
> [@doreen](#):
>
> My city prohibits parking a vehicle for on the street for more than 7 consecutive days, but there aren’t traffic agents taking photos of the parked cars every day just in case they haven’t moved.
Urbana, IL, considers any vehicle parked for 4 days “abandoned”. Good thing they didn’t check, since I took the bus to work and often rode with my roommate on the weekends. We only had one parking spot and had agreed to let her use it. That’s a law that, if enforced, could have caused me problems. Good thing the neighbors weren’t pissed at me.
[http://urbanaillinois.us/parking](http://urbanaillinois.us/parking)
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