# One tire on the grass = citation? Huh? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [August 7, 2004, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-tire-on-the-grass-citation-huh/258743 "2004-08-07T05:34:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-tire-on-the-grass-citation-huh/258743/21 "2004-08-12T05:22:50Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > As for the OP’s Q about 1 tire! I talked to a city planner/inspector type guy today, and mentioned the subject in passing. (I had to get some permits) He said that Yes, one tire will get you a citation because in their eyes, there is no difference betwen barely parking on the lawn and being totally on the lawn. So. in his eyes, the citation is not an over reaction, it is simply a to the letter application of the ordinance. I often wonder, does anyone [i[really\* think this way? Or do they just pretend to think this way because they either want to bring in as much revenue from fines as possible, or because they like to lord it over the peons? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-tire-on-the-grass-citation-huh/258743/22 "2004-08-12T14:31:27Z")
> [@NoClueBoy](#): > > As for the OP’s Q about 1 tire! I talked to a city planner/inspector type guy today, and mentioned the subject in passing. (I had to get some permits) He said that Yes, one tire will get you a citation because in their eyes, there is no difference betwen barely parking on the lawn and being totally on the lawn. So. in his eyes, the citation is not an over reaction, it is simply a to the letter application of the ordinance. But the point is that there are numerous situations in which enforcing the letter of the law **is** an overreaction. And in this case, I’d argue that it misses the point of the ordinance. Next time you talk to him, will you ask him if the police normally ticket people who show up on the radar gun as doing 36 in a 35 mph zone? Seems like exactly the same thing - but almost nobody, anywhere, ever gets ticketed for being a mile or two per hour over the speed limit. I can understand the point of the ordinance - you don’t want the next-door neighbors turning their front lawn into a parking lot, at least not if you’d like to sell at a decent price someday. And that’s true even if all the vehicles run and don’t look like junkheaps. But to issue a citation because a car is almost entirely parked on the driveway, but has one wheel on the grass - that has nothing to do with anything, except being compulsive about issuing citations. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [August 12, 2004, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-tire-on-the-grass-citation-huh/258743/23 "2004-08-12T23:46:56Z")
Hey, all I did was ask. But yeah, I’ll see them again sometime in the next week or so. I’ll try to remember to bring it up. Of course, he’ll probably think I’m obsessed now, especially if he ever talks to councilman guy I asked about the same subject last year (earlier post). Oh well, all in the name of fighting ignorance! 😉 My rule of thumb with ordinances and stuff affecting my jobs: smile and nod, pay the fee. ---
**Author:** ![Spezza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Spezza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spezza)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-tire-on-the-grass-citation-huh/258743/24 "2004-08-13T00:06:12Z")
My buddy recently got in an argument with a neighbour. A half hour after the argument he went out front to have a smoke and who there? the traffic warden. His brother was getting a $130 ticket for having two tires on the lawn. A cold war was now begun; so far we are losing. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2004, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-tire-on-the-grass-citation-huh/258743/25 "2004-08-13T00:42:08Z")
Something else to keep in mind is that often the police are called in by an unhappy neighbor who knows the laws. If they bother ot come by, someone’s getting a ticket. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-tire-on-the-grass-citation-huh/258743.md?page=1)