Defending Your Property Line

[anygunanywhere]

Questions still remain. Why my yard? What happened to someone knocking on the door to let me know what was about to take place?

Since Mrs. Anygun and I purchased our retirement place we regularly request individuals remove themselves from our property. We have a stocked pond that we share with 2 neighbors, one of whom was the developer. Over the years it seems that the developer has informed everyone that it is OK to fish.

It did not take long for me to grow weary of picking up the trash, empty beer cans and water bottles, and track the ATV trackes over our 4.8 acres before I began to forbid trespassing.

I have never had to call the SO.

I have experienced some really stupid responses:

"I did not know someone owned this properety"

"I did not know you owned this property"

"I thought this was a park"

"My dogs just wanted to swim in the water"

"My grandsons wanted to fish. You don't mind do you?"

This is a small samle. I must admit that the numbers have dropped significantly. No one has ever knocked on my door to ask permission.

I am always armed on my place and I am always armed when I talk to someone. I am always polite and introduce myself while inquiring into who they are and what they are doing.

Anygunanywhere

Haven't seen anyone on our property, but it's fenced and the gate is usually locked, and it's pretty remote. I too am also always armed while out and about on my property....to deal snakes for one thing, though I haven't come across any for awhile now.

Isn't there an old saying that says something like "Good fences make for good neighbors"? Kind of hard to cross accidentally onto property THROUGH a fence. I want a slightly rural property and I have already told my wife it will be fenced and posted "No Trespassing". That way, it will be clearer to those who might have a question about whether they can or cannot come onto my property.

Fences not in the budget. Why should I have to fence my propeerty to keep people off? It belongs to me and not them!

Anygunanywhere

[Heartland Patriot]

Questions still remain. Why my yard? What happened to someone knocking on the door to let me know what was about to take place?

Since Mrs. Anygun and I purchased our retirement place we regularly request individuals remove themselves from our property. We have a stocked pond that we share with 2 neighbors, one of whom was the developer. Over the years it seems that the developer has informed everyone that it is OK to fish.

It did not take long for me to grow weary of picking up the trash, empty beer cans and water bottles, and track the ATV trackes over our 4.8 acres before I began to forbid trespassing.

I have never had to call the SO.

I have experienced some really stupid responses:

"I did not know someone owned this properety"

"I did not know you owned this property"

"I thought this was a park"

"My dogs just wanted to swim in the water"

"My grandsons wanted to fish. You don't mind do you?"

This is a small samle. I must admit that the numbers have dropped significantly. No one has ever knocked on my door to ask permission.

I am always armed on my place and I am always armed when I talk to someone. I am always polite and introduce myself while inquiring into who they are and what they are doing.

Anygunanywhere

Haven't seen anyone on our property, but it's fenced and the gate is usually locked, and it's pretty remote. I too am also always armed while out and about on my property....to deal snakes for one thing, though I haven't come across any for awhile now.

Isn't there an old saying that says something like "Good fences make for good neighbors"? Kind of hard to cross accidentally onto property THROUGH a fence. I want a slightly rural property and I have already told my wife it will be fenced and posted "No Trespassing". That way, it will be clearer to those who might have a question about whether they can or cannot come onto my property.

Fences not in the budget. Why should I have to fence my propeerty to keep people off? It belongs to me and not them!

Anygunanywhere

I'm not saying you should HAVE TO fence YOUR property. I said that I will be fencing MY property, and hanging signage on it. Folks are free to do what they want to do or do not want to do with their property. However, if folks want to come uninvited, I want it to be obvious to law enforcement (if and/or when I have to call them), that I did my best to make it very clear that people shouldn't come onto my property without my permission. I'm even going to do just like 30.06 and put the signs up in English and Spanish, so there won't be any confusion for the vast bulk of the population of our great state.

[anygunanywhere]

Mucous gracias.

Anygunanywhere

[VMI77]

I'm not saying you should HAVE TO fence YOUR property. I said that I will be fencing MY property, and hanging signage on it. Folks are free to do what they want to do or do not want to do with their property. However, if folks want to come uninvited, I want it to be obvious to law enforcement (if and/or when I have to call them), that I did my best to make it very clear that people shouldn't come onto my property without my permission. I'm even going to do just like 30.06 and put the signs up in English and Spanish, so there won't be any confusion for the vast bulk of the population of our great state.

It was already fenced when I bought it --otherwise I probably wouldn't have fences up yet. There is no approach by road that isn't fenced and gated. You'd also have to push through lots of dense brush on foot to access it from a neighbor's property. And to get to it in a vehicle that isn't something like a tank, you have to enter a private road and pass through the cattle guards at two fences just to get to my gate. I've posted No Trespassing signs so that they are visible at every point around the fence perimeter. I've got 360 degree camera coverage around the residence and a camera looking down the long driveway to the entrance gate. I normally keep the gate locked --No Trespassing signs on the gate-- so to get a vehicle through you'd have to cut the chain or lock. If someone cuts the chain or climbs over my gate I'm not going to assume their intentions are benign. There is no way someone can "get lost" and innocently enter this property.

[Wienerdogtroy]

It is not asking too much for someone who has a need to access your property, wherever it is, to ask permission, and agree to restore it to the condition before entry, and most of the time this will be respected, honored and observed, and everyone lives happily ever after.

Words of wisdom.

[bkj]

Force not deadly force

PC §9.41. PROTECTION OF ONE'S OWN PROPERTY.
(a) A person in lawful possession of land or tangible, movable property is justified in using force against another when and to the degree the actor reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to prevent or terminate the other's trespass on the land or unlawful interference with the property

[HankB]

A friend of mine had a home with a right of way stretching across the back of his property for power, phone, etc. (The boundary where some folks have an alley.) The thing is, over the years the utilities hadn't maintained this right of way - it was badly overgrown, rendering it unusable.

So one day he comes home from work, and sees deep - REALLY deep - ruts across the front of his yard, across his driveway (he had a side-entry garage) and continuing into his back yard, where he found a power company cherry-picker truck. Deep ruts all across his lawn and landscaping. Asked the guys what they were doing there, and was told it was none of his business. So . . . he just parked his car on his driveway. (Side entry, remember.)

In due course, they rang his doorbell and demanded he move his car so they could leave. He refused - told them to use the right of way. More words exchanged, he closed the door in their faces. They called the cops.

As he pointed out to the responding officer, his legally registered and insured car was parked on private property - HIS private property - and he didn't have to move it, nor did the cop have authority to compel him too.
The cop agreed.

Skipping ahead, the cherry picker didn't leave until late the next day, driver got fired, high executives from the power company got involved, and he got a whole new lawn and landscaping out of it.

[mr surveyor]

A friend of mine had a home with a right of way stretching across the back of his property for power, phone, etc. (The boundary where some folks have an alley.) The thing is, over the years the utilities hadn't maintained this right of way - it was badly overgrown, rendering it unusable.

So one day he comes home from work, and sees deep - REALLY deep - ruts across the front of his yard, across his driveway (he had a side-entry garage) and continuing into his back yard, where he found a power company cherry-picker truck. Deep ruts all across his lawn and landscaping. Asked the guys what they were doing there, and was told it was none of his business. So . . . he just parked his car on his driveway. (Side entry, remember.)

In due course, they rang his doorbell and demanded he move his car so they could leave. He refused - told them to use the right of way. More words exchanged, he closed the door in their faces. They called the cops.

As he pointed out to the responding officer, his legally registered and insured car was parked on private property - HIS private property - and he didn't have to move it, nor did the cop have authority to compel him too.
The cop agreed.

Skipping ahead, the cherry picker didn't leave until late the next day, driver got fired, high executives from the power company got involved, and he got a whole new lawn and landscaping out of it.

That's the way it is supposed to work!

[tacticool]

A friend of mine had a home with a right of way stretching across the back of his property for power, phone, etc. (The boundary where some folks have an alley.) The thing is, over the years the utilities hadn't maintained this right of way - it was badly overgrown, rendering it unusable.

So one day he comes home from work, and sees deep - REALLY deep - ruts across the front of his yard, across his driveway (he had a side-entry garage) and continuing into his back yard, where he found a power company cherry-picker truck. Deep ruts all across his lawn and landscaping. Asked the guys what they were doing there, and was told it was none of his business. So . . . he just parked his car on his driveway. (Side entry, remember.)

In due course, they rang his doorbell and demanded he move his car so they could leave. He refused - told them to use the right of way. More words exchanged, he closed the door in their faces. They called the cops.

As he pointed out to the responding officer, his legally registered and insured car was parked on private property - HIS private property - and he didn't have to move it, nor did the cop have authority to compel him too.
The cop agreed.

Skipping ahead, the cherry picker didn't leave until late the next day, driver got fired, high executives from the power company got involved, and he got a whole new lawn and landscaping out of it.

That's the way it is supposed to work!

It worked out in the end but he shouldn't have had to block their exit to convince them to act like decent human beings and fix what they broke.

[mamabearCali]

A friend of mine had a home with a right of way stretching across the back of his property for power, phone, etc. (The boundary where some folks have an alley.) The thing is, over the years the utilities hadn't maintained this right of way - it was badly overgrown, rendering it unusable.

So one day he comes home from work, and sees deep - REALLY deep - ruts across the front of his yard, across his driveway (he had a side-entry garage) and continuing into his back yard, where he found a power company cherry-picker truck. Deep ruts all across his lawn and landscaping. Asked the guys what they were doing there, and was told it was none of his business. So . . . he just parked his car on his driveway. (Side entry, remember.)

In due course, they rang his doorbell and demanded he move his car so they could leave. He refused - told them to use the right of way. More words exchanged, he closed the door in their faces. They called the cops.

As he pointed out to the responding officer, his legally registered and insured car was parked on private property - HIS private property - and he didn't have to move it, nor did the cop have authority to compel him too.
The cop agreed.

Skipping ahead, the cherry picker didn't leave until late the next day, driver got fired, high executives from the power company got involved, and he got a whole new lawn and landscaping out of it.

These are the calls my husband used to handle for the local power company. In that situation I would imagine you would get a new lawn and landscaping. It is my guess but I am betting that the local company they have to maintain he right-a-ways was contacted as well and got handed his hind parts.