And they are very selective about who they enforce the rules on. I manage a self storage just outside of Tacoma, Wash. Right now, I have a boat being stored on MY property (not the self storage) due to a homeowners association that is enforcing the rules against this couple, but NOT the family down the street, because they’re black, and the HOA doesn’t want the headache of enforcing the rules against them, even though they’re yard has all kinds of crap in it. I met this couple when they came in to ask about storing their boat at the self storage. At the time, we were having a lot of theft issues, and I let everyone know up front, if they want to store their RV or boat, that they stand a very likely chance of getting ripped off, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it, and the sheriffs dept. doesn’t do a damn thing, either. But, because they are in HOA’s, they take the chance. This couple had just got this boat and didn’t want to take the chance. I told them if they couldn’t find another place to store it, get back to me and they could store it on my property. They came back two days later. Very nice couple, and they are glad to have their boat somewhere safe (mostly...nothing is guaranteed around here).
Township around here does that as well
Old polish grandmother had a commercial sewing machine in her garage, she would do alterations, make things, whatever for people, one day a township spy was watching the property and noticed a Jewish lady brought stuff to the grandmother to alter, that was the end of her. The town stated she was running a business and had to shut down and sell the machine.
Guy who is friends with the mayor and town council sells used cars in his front yard, he even has a Delaware used car dealer license (he is in New Jersey). People complain, nobody will do anything. Code enforcement will say it is not illegal to park cars in your front yard. But that wasn’t the complaint, the complaint was the man was selling the cars in the front yard as a licensed dealer.