You May Soon Be Unable to Do This at Your Own Home in Ilion

The Village of Ilion may be cracking down on how you use your own lawn, specifically for parking. A rep for the Ilion Citizen Codes Committee spoke up at a recent village board meeting and inquired about instituting parking restrictions for residents.

Apparently the concern is not with overflow parking on the grass for an odd party or the occasional use of a front lawn to wash a car, but is aimed at "violators" who make regular use of their own lawns in order to avoid moving cars around.

So, they're not talking about you, Melissa Kinney (a Facebook friend who recently utilized lawn parking while the new seal on her driveway set completely.)

Another Facebook buddy, Bill Sheley, is a bit more inflamed.

Oh, all of sudden I can't park MY CAR on MY LAWN? BS, does the town pay my mortgage or my taxes? I don't think so!...What ever happened to what our founding fathers set up for us, the American people, a government for the people by the people.

The first page alone of an online search turned up similar issues in Lima, Ohio, Modesto, California, Irmo, South Carolina, Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Cheektowaga, New York.

The laws vary from city to city. In Albuquerque, for instance, the only restrictions apply to the percentage of one's yard that can be covered by cars. The limit is 60 to 85 percent, depending on the neighborhood.

While some communities worry about the negative visual effect on property values, or the dangers of cars on lawns, the stated issue in Modesto is the environment. The town is trying to ensure that oil does not leak from vehicles and leach into the soil.

There would be exemptions there for residents whose homes were built before the law was enacted.

As for Ilion, it appears to be a codes issue, and will be discussed at the next public meeting, scheduled for September 13th at 6:30 p.m, inside the village office located at 49 Morgan Street.

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