Sacramento County ban on home “major auto repair”
I live in South Sac county. Elk Grove to be exact. So this rule definitely applies where I live. On top of that I live in a HOA controlled neighborhood. I have lived here for 20 years and have worked on my daily drivers to keep them safe and operational. I refuse to take things into a shop that I can handle here at home. Saves me a ton of money, and I certainly like that I have the ability to diagnose and repair my cars. Classics and regular drivers. That being said, I also appreciate that my neighborhood doesn’t look like a bomb went off in a wrecking yard. Most in my area have no idea how to work on vehicles. I have to be aware that when work on something in my driveway, when I’m done at the end of the day, that the car or truck is hood closed, all wheels on and vehicle back down on the ground. I know to do otherwise would be inviting trouble. My garage on the other hand, is filled with my non running, some disassembled, project cars. I now keep my garage door closed for the most part. To keep from running afoul of the HOA, and now the county. Let’s face it, this is a dying diy art that most don’t participate in. We are in the extreme minority of vehicle owners.
I do have a question regarding the types of tools I am supposedly aloud to own and use in this county. There is a Harbor Freight here in town. They sell welders, cherry pickers, paint guns, air compressors, rollaway toolboxes and a ton of other things that the typical person would have no need for. So why can I buy these tools, pay the county sales tax when I do, and then have a code in place saying I can’t use any of them?? WTF?
Anyway, this won’t change much for me. I’ll still work on my stuff. I’ll just be much more conscious of the fact that I need to keep it as low down as possible when I do. They will just have to wonder what all the noise is behind my garage door. If they can hear any of it over the loud stereo I’ll be blasting to mask the noise of me welding and grinding as I do rust repair.