Neighbors & Community
The disputes that arise between people who live next to each other, and how they are settled.
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Neighbors & Community
Fences, Boundary Walls, and Who Pays
Boundary fence cost sharing comes from state partition fence statutes in some states and from local ordinance in others, with height and purpose limits layered on top.
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Neighbors & Community
Trees, Overhanging Branches, and Fallen Limbs
Trimming rights stop at the boundary line, and damage claims after a limb falls usually depend on whether the tree's owner knew the tree was unsound beforehand.
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Neighbors & Community
Noise Ordinances and What Counts as a Nuisance
Noise rules are local, and they work in one of two ways: a measured decibel limit or a plainly audible test. A private nuisance claim is a different route with a higher bar.
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Neighbors & Community
Shared Driveways and Access Easements
A shared driveway is usually an easement, and the recorded grant controls how wide it is, who may use it, for what, and how the cost of keeping it up is divided.
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Neighbors & Community
Snow, Ice, and Sidewalk Clearing Duties
Clearing duties and fall liability are two different questions. A city ordinance can require you to shovel without making you liable, or in some states can do both.
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Neighbors & Community
Home-Based Businesses in Residential Neighborhoods
Residential zoning usually permits a home occupation that stays subordinate to living there, with limits on visits, signage, nonresident employees, and outdoor storage.
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Neighbors & Community
Short-Term Guests, Parking, and Neighborhood Parking Permits
Residential permit parking districts are created by city ordinance. A permit is an exemption from a posted restriction, not a claim to any particular stretch of curb.
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Neighbors & Community
Light Trespass, Security Cameras, and Neighbor Privacy
Cameras pointed at public space are usually lawful; aiming at a neighbor's private areas is not. Audio recording and glare from floodlights follow different rules again.
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Neighbors & Community
Drainage, Runoff, and Water Damage Between Properties
Surface water disputes are decided by one of three state doctrines. Nearly all of them turn on whether someone artificially changed the flow rather than on where water naturally goes.
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Neighbors & Community
Community Gardens and Vacant Lot Use
A community garden needs a documented right to occupy the land, a zoning use that permits it, tested soil, a water source, and insurance before the first bed goes in.
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Neighbors & Community
Block Parties, Street Closures, and Neighborhood Events
A block party normally needs a temporary street closure permit issued by the city, with neighbor consent, an approved traffic plan, and conditions on noise, food, and drink.