Front yard trepassing ?

[35 Whelen]

Background:

I've lived in my mid seventies built home for thirty years, maintain my yard and have a front and both side sprinkler system installed, front yard is not fenced and I'm not sure if it even can be building code wise.

Less than desireable (you can tell) neighbors moved into the rental property next door in the fall, two 30ish single women one has two boys somewhere between five and eight years old.

The boys were given one of those ride in battery powered cars for Xmas and they started driving caddy corner across my front lawn to go from their garage to the street and sidewalk.......leaving very visible tire tracks across my yard in the now brown bermuda.

I nicely confronted the mother aprox. two weeks ago, showed her the tire trail across my yard, and ask her to stop letting the boys ride across my property.....I couldn't hear what she told them but she said something to them while glancing up at the wife and I standing in the yard.

Yesterday I get home from work and see the battery car parked half across the property line and more trails in the grass, I went next door and informed the mother of what was going on and she said (in the TONE), "their just boys",......after her 'TONE' my short reply was, "control them".

I then informed her that this was the second time I'd brought the problem to her attention and the next time it happened I was going to call the police and have her cited for tresspassing, to which she replied, "oh wow', then turned and walked away......while walking away with my back to her she said, "have a nice day sir" again in that smarta** tone.

This is probably now the beginnings of a neighbor fued but at this point I feel I'm within my rights and only want the kids to given some good parenting and stay off my property.

Some say front yard trespassing law is different than backyard tresspassing......is this true and am I within my legal rights ?

 

[ignerntbend]

You live in town and that's a very hard burden to bear.Consult a lawyer, Consult the police.
Don't consult the internet.

 

[brennan]

When I was a kid we would run the neighborhood. We always went through the neighbors yards jumped their fences. Played football in their yards, ect. I sometime get irritated with the neighbor kids for toys that end up in my back yard or them crawling on my fence. But then I try to remember what I did a a did.
Not much help on you situation.

 

[Oklahomabassin]

I was edited.

 

[Danny Tanner]

I side with the OP. I live next to a greenbelt and get annoyed seeing footprints and bicycle tracks cutting across the middle of my lawn when there's a fully functional sidewalk just feet away. While it's not a common issue, especially one enough that would wear my lawn down into a dirt trail, it's still annoying. I didn't walk through the middle of yards when I was a kid and I especially don't now, so don't do the same to me.

Hell, when mowing my part of the lawn along the sidewalk that borders my neighbor's yard, I'll step over and straddle the sidewalk as to not step foot in his grass, out of respect. I may look like an idiot, but at least I'm not disrespecting something he worked to achieve.

 

[Kyle78]

Get your own battery powered cop car and pull the kids over....but seriously if they are not severly damaging your yard, GTFO and be kind. They're kids, and just playing.
My neighbors kids kick there soccer ball into our front yard all of the time. If you dont like it, put up a fence.

 

[1shott]

Sounds like they may be members of the FSA, FREE **** ARMY, and they have decided that they are entitled to your property to use as they see fit.

Is the landlord of that house renting to section 8?

Since the "parents" will not take care of the matter, contact the landlord and inform him of it.

 

[1shott]

Get your own battery powered cop car and pull the kids over....but seriously if they are not severly damaging your yard, GTFO and be kind. They're kids, and just playing.
My neighbors kids kick there soccer ball into our front yard all of the time. If you dont like it, put up a fence.

Well the way I see it, the OP does not want someone elses kids playing on his property or his lawn being damaged, so the parents of those kids should see to it their spawn stays off his property. Its pretty simple really, its something called respect, something this country has been falling short on for awhile now.

 

[RKM]

Well the way I see it, the OP does not want someone elses kids playing on his property or his lawn being damaged, so the parents of those kids should see to it their spawn stays off his property. Its pretty simple really, its something called respect, something this country has been falling short on for awhile now.

I agree 100%. Respect is lost on kids these days and when you have parents that refuse to instill it in their children it only gets worse.
The other problem is, if the kids get hurt on your property you can be held liable for their injuries.

 

[sklfco]

Change direction a bit here for a moment so bear with me.......... I would be far more concerned about one of the kids "getting hurt" on said property and then one of the fine mothers stumbling into one of the "ambulance chasing" lawyers at the emergency room. I agree that kids will be kids but also at the same time freeloaders will always be on the lookout for their next hand out!