Ya, the way the code is written, it is pretty vague in how they can interpret the ordnance for enforcement around here.
Guess that's why it got written the way that it is.
The Code Enforcement officers that patrol, or have jurisdiction in my "hood" are pretty cool, and don't have any problems with brake jobs, oil changes, or something quick under the hood.
But they have to be on patrol, to check on you doing something against code.
Or ya, get turned in, by someone else living on the street.
I do my brake rebuilding, suspension parts rebuilding, in the garage, which is AOK by code, and not pissing off my neighbor that lives in the other half of this duplex, and not getting the new neighbor to me, in the next duplex to the right of me.
Hope they turn out to be good neighbors, and not inconsiderate ones. Time will tell.
I can understand if you own your own house, doing work in the garage, on your own stuff, but out here in my area, homes are 10 feet from one another, and other areas, even closer than that.
So if you have acreage between homes, no problems, but city life out here in California, is a whole different situation.