The Wichita BTK killer was a code compliance officer. I hate those bastards. They came after me for a dead tree a few years ago. That tree wasn't hurting anyone.

God I'd hate to live in a neighborhood with most of you.

I'd start taking a **** in the middle of my grass clippings to try and make sure they stay in the street. Neighbors are the worst.

In the grand scheme of things, only like a 2. But the thought process (or lack thereof) behind it definitely adds a clueless factor.

Like, nobody is driving by your house and saying, "Wow, what a clean driveway." They're saying, "Wow, that jerk blows all his grass into the street." From a public display standpoint, it is counterproductive.

It's just as bad if you're doing it for purely personal reasons. You're obsessed with keeping the driving surface on your property spotless, but you don't give a **** about the one that is right in front of it? Do you have some sort of myopia that prevents you from seeing past the curb?

obviously your parents are the ones who turned you in. it is their way of trying to get you to give up poker.

but seriously. take ten minutes and write a letter back to the inspector and inform him that you are not breaking any city ordinances and if they try to fine you, you will contest it. Let the inspector know that you will provide pics as proof of your compliance with city codes.

if they try to fine you, you bring a copy of the letter you wrote to the inspector and pics from your last mowing (just pull out your phone and snap a couple quick pics of your lawn)

No matter what some silly councilman threatens the inpsector with, he is not going to risk looking like an asshat in front of a municapal judge.

post a sign that says i like to let my grass grow like JESUS intended! i'm sorry if you don't believe in GOD...also i got a benz bitches.

Quoting Marv Albert: YESSSSS!

Not addressed to me but "yes". I keep my driveway and sidewalk grass free by blowing them into the street. Never thought about it before tbh

Find out who the neighbor is and slap a note on their door letting them know that if they have a problem with you, they should talk to you face-to-face instead of this passive-aggressive BS.

Well done, heater!

If you want to go all pop psychology on it, as a new resident to the area you don't feel any ownership for anything outside your immediate property. Long term residents will be much more likely to embrace responsibility for the neighborhood as a whole, so dumping stuff in the street is seen by them as almost as bad as dumping it in their front yard. You think of it as the street, they think of it as their street.

If you stay there long enough you will probably expand your own territorial definition to include the street as well, maybe even the whole neighborhood. Soon enough you'll be the guy bitching about the new couple down the road who leave their trash cans at the curb all week.

That escalated quickly.

Mowing a lawn without getting grass all over the street is not rocket science. Just clean up after yourself.

But obviously the neighbour is also a massive douche for reporting you instead of just trying to talk to you about it if it really bothers him that much.

It comes off as petty but you should be somewhat glad you live in a neighborhood where people care at all. We're lucky as our closest neighbors all keep up on their lawns, yet aren't super green-thumb types (or douchebags). Down the road you have a few houses with varying degrees of don't give a **** that I'd have to say something to if they were closer.

Perfect response.

If he has spoken to me directly I would have complied but no under no circumstances would I change my behaviour now.

I would have a BBQ. Invite neighbours by going to their door personally. Hopefully you figure out who the snitch is and also build goodwill and form alliances with other neighbours.

Definitely at least financially contribute to the opponent of the city councilor at the next election.

People here call bylaw on each other nonstop.

Since Mark came to investigate personally (?!?!) my guess is the neighbour massively overstated the problem to the councilperson's staff, who told him they'd act right away and now they're stuck. One of my friends used to work for a councilman and this was all he did for three years, tell insane retired people that their concerns were a top priority for the city. The only reason they would insist on your compliance is because he would stop bothering them without them having to ask him to.

Personally I would mow "in" and just leave whatever grass clippings that causes, it's not like you're shoveling your snow into the street and making the road all lumpy.

also agree with zikzak above

Your neighbor is kind of a weasel but it sounds like you may be taking it a little too personally. IME almost every nice neighborhood has at least one person like that, and when they're super annoying and petty most other neighbors just laugh about them and forget to invite them to BBQs.

Then again if you haven't edged since June and we're in September...I don't know what your lawn situation is but maybe it's a little more shoddy that you think?

Hopefully it's just one person. I've seen neighborhoods where almost everybody is a cork-sniffing ******* bitching from Day 1. Buy a distressed property in one and holy hell. You'll get unnecessary advice and almost demands about what to do from Day 1. They want years of neglect fixed immediately and you're just getting permits and crews. Then they start bitching when you actually do start working on it.... "Is that dumpster going to be here long?" "Is there a way you can stop work by 2pm Wed-Fri?" "You know that pouring a driveway has a really strong odor..." "Can you ask your guys to turn that Mexican music down, it's really annoying"

Agree with all of the above, including zikzak's post.

It could be worse. I have one busybody neighbor and another who is a city councilman. The busybody has the councilman's ear. A year or two ago the speed limit on our street/road was lowered from 55 to 45. It may or may not have needed it, but the busybody complained about the 55 mph speed limit to me for months prior to the change, so I assume he was a driving (heh heh) force behind the change.

To make matters worse (?), the cops frequently set radar traps on the street. One of their favorite stations is in the councilman's driveway, so at least that one is easy for me to spot.

As an aside to OP, for the first several years I lived here, I took a very cavalier approach to my lawn. More recently I have done a much better job with it. As a result (IMO), both of the neighbors mentioned above (very meticulous with their lawns BTW) now mow significant portions of my lawn which borders their properties. That makes my mowing much less time-consuming.

I never thought either of these guys were "good" neighbors (and still don't in some ways), but by my becoming a "better neighbor" to them, they have become much less obnoxious as neighbors.

Easy solution

Go down to the hardware store buy weed&grass killer and kill the whole yard that should really solve the problem.

Lol suburbia. Heaven forbid there be some blades of grass out of place! And in the street where their precious cars might have to drive on it too!

Lots of people do this during the winter

Yeah people who care about blades of grass being in the street need to ride a fat dick.

Keep the clippings in a few trash cans until they've turned brown, or at least a color different from your lawn.

Then sprinkle them on your lawn to spell: "SUCK MY DICK, ******* NEIGHBOR!"

Just mowed again. Switched from side discharge mode to pure mulch mode. Blew the clippings on the grass instead of the street. Personally, I think it looks terrible as you can no longer see the nice clean "mower lines". It looks worse to me but hopefully better for everyone else. The price of conformity I guess.

That explains everything. True Minnesotans don't talk to their neighbors any more than necessary. And even if you do end up having a chat, you can live next door and not make it into their house for 20 years.

Lived their 12 years, every neighbor friend I had was from someplace else.