Posted on 07/30/2018 6:43:31 AM PDT by george76
LAUREL, Md. — Prince George’s County filed a legal case against a Laurel couple in their 90s over a wheelchair ramp in their own home. To avoid legal trouble, the elderly couple’s son tore down the ramp, trapping the woman in her own home. The county permitting department said the family had no permit to build a wheelchair ramp in front of their own home.
"I don't want my husband trying to lift me now," said 91 year old Evelyn Strahle.
Evelyn Strahle's husband David is 94 years old. "Two people had to put her in a wheelchair and lift her down those steps before we had it,” said David.
A pile of lumber is all that remains of the wheelchair ramp that gave Evelyn freedom to leave her Laurel home.
“It clips my wings. I can't do anything," said Evelyn.
Evelyn's son Bob built the ramp. He's in the construction trades. He didn't want his parents to pay the $5,000 they priced a ramp of this size. Bob bought $1,700 of lumber and built it himself.
"Very well built and I felt very safe on it always,” explained Evelyn.
Then, a Prince George's County inspector came.
“There was an inspector that showed up here twice when I was here and I asked him why couldn't he just inspect it and tell me if there was anything I needed to do to make any improvements on it so that it would fit permitting requirements but he said that wasn't the process and I had to go through the long route,” explained son Bob Strahle.
Bob submitted plans and tried to file for a permit but was denied because he built the ramp before asking county government.
(Excerpt) Read more at wjla.com ...
“The county should have worked with them to get permitting.”
Absolutely. Could the existing ramp have been brought up to code without tearing it down? Was there a violation of code or was it just a matter of doing something without permission?
a while back I was captured remodeling without a permit. i took their notice and went downtown and pled ignorance. they asked for the permit fee and after I paid it, that was that. I asked them to come down and inspect before I covered up the electrical wiring with sheetrock, and they said ‘go ahead, no problem’. once I deferred to them, they because nice.
And cash for the local government's coffers.
Not in my neighborhood, also in Maryland.
My neighbor is re-doing his entire house. Ripped out all the drywall, fixing the completely jacked up electrical system and replacing all the insulation. I don’t see a building permit and really don’t care.
The son is in the “construction trade” and din’t know he needed a permit?
First “unbelievable” in a list of many.
What a bunch of chicken sh!ts!!!!
Given I live within 35 mins +/- Prince George County, it is one phucked up county to be sure.
Back in the day I built decks. At that time, as long as the deck wasn’t attached to the house, no permit was needed.
I think it's mostly about taxes and fees. Why do people need a permit to paint their damn house!!!
Since the lady is in her mid 90’s, maybe he built it to be rather temporary with the intention of tearing it down in a year or two, thus thought it didn’t need a permit.
You’ve lived in Kalifornicatia too long. A well-built w/c ramp???
Come on! (eyeroll)
I remember that story! Shining example of how taxpayers get robbed.
In days past, community members would often improve things around town. You can sometimes see payments made to them in old town records. Now the simplest task is drowned in red tape and every inch costs an exorbitant amount of taxpayer money.
Get an ADA lawyer and have the county build them a pure gold ramp.
But why?
What a complete crock of crap! Whatever happened to people standing up for their rights in this nation. It should never come down to this crap, ever. I am not blaming the elderly couple, I am blaming society who allow this crap, and a large portion who encourage it!
Permits are NOT “always for safety reasons.” There is often no real issue of safety at all, albeit some bean counter could contrive a fake one if pressed. They are sometimes simply revenue generating mechanisms.
The whole subject of “building permits” should be privatized through the insurance industry.
Builders would get “builders insurance” and their insurance company would check to see things were done to the code-standards THEY have. Insuracnce regulators in states would restrict how restrictive the insurers inspection standards were, to prevent the use of standards that were required merely in an unwarrented push to have homeowners otherwise carry more insurance than really needed.
Homeowners insurance policies would state clearly that modifications to the home should be checked through insectors working for the insurance company, or failure to do so might possibly invalidate a part or all of the homeowners insurance.
That should be ALL there is. Let’s end the petty bureaucrats effectively “taking” property without even using eminent domain to do it. And yes, government mandating you use YOUR property in manners restricted to what they say is O.K. is a “taking” of property, in the sense that property is no longer truly private, but an extension of government policy.
Now then, should someone be allowed to be dumb enough to not have a homeowber’s insuracne policy? Sure. It means they are taking 100% of any financial risk for any damages to the home, or other claims they may be responsible for that could be othwerwise be covered by a homeowner’s insurance policy. Actually, I have calculated that many very wealthy people waste a ton of money on many insurance policies, as the same money as the cost of those policies, invested by themselves, would have annual returns that over 25 years would be more than what they spent on the policies, and likely, in most cases, even compensating for any damages they had to cover out of those funds. Most of us just do not have the backup funds to take that risk.
EVERYONE actually ought to be able to opt-out of any “required insurance” with a simple affidavit that they understandi they accept the financial risk on their own.
It used to be that way. What happened? The insurance industry convinced the political class to get the money turned over to THEM constantly by everyone instead of occassionly to the lawyers when needed.
Why? He got so much sadistic satisfaction as a code enforcement officer that he didn't feel the need to Bind Torture and Kill women and children.
I wonder about this heartless bastard who kicked the legs out from under a disabled 91 year old lady.
Where I live if it is not permanently attached to the ground or to the building no permit is needed. The only exception is an above ground pool.
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