[LAshby50]

I am checking for my mother in law. She is concerned that the backyard neighbor may be building landscape walls with stone too close to her house. She is in a cottage neighborhood south of 466A in Sumter county. Where can I find this out?

[villagetinker]

Go to the Sumter county zoning office (Pinellas Plaza). If the neighbor did the arc review and there was a permit needed, they will have the info foer you to review, this is public info. If no permit required, you can go to ARC (LSL), and aski, if you have the address you can go online and review the ARC approved forms.
I believe that you can also get the neighbors plot plan (Sumter county office), which will have the setbacks shown on them.

And finial if you cannot or do or want to do any of the above, call ARC and they will investigate. Calls are anonymous as I recall.
Hope this helps.
NOTE: in some cases these setbacks are site specific, so be careful with info stating that setbacks are xx feet statements.

[jimbo2012]

landscape and that includes walls etc around them must also be 2' more than the setback

So if the setback is for example 10' the landscape must be 12'

A permit from the ARC is required.

[OldManTime]

[QUOTE=LAshby50;1135208]I am checking for my mother in law. She is concerned that the backyard neighbor may be building landscape walls with stone too close to her house. She is in a cottage neighborhood south of 466A in Sumter county. Where can I find this out?[/QUOTE




call Deed compliance

[joesin]

Community Standards they can come out and take a look.

[Lovey2]

Before I called anyone, I'd check on your Mother-in-law's survey she received when she bought the house. That will tell you the setbacks. Each property (maybe) or area is different, I believe, but the neighbors should be the same. I would not involve Community Standards or ARC, without checking first myself, or gently asking the neighbor. Nothing will alienate the neighbors and anyone they tell faster than having someone stop and check up on them because a neighbor called. Even if it is anonymous...after all, there can only be so many people it would impact, and that neighbor will forever suspect everyone. My opinion, for what it's worth. Always best to be honest with a neighbor right off the bat.

[Lovey2]

P.S. I say this because a friend of mine had an "anonymous neighbor" call, and was made to go before the review board and remove some stones. etc. No neighbor admitted to calling, but they all expressed interest in what she was doing and why. She is VERY uncomfortable now with all the neighbor's behind her, and has even considered moving. A bad situation all around...better to "man up", as it were, and ask the neighbor yourself. Again, IMHO.

[jnieman]

Our neighbors both put in huge birdcages with huge pools. We had ARC come out both times to check to make sure they were in compliance since both butted up to our property. ARC told me the setback is now 7 ft where it used to be 10 ft for Sumter county. The neighbors don't act any different than they did before. We did keep the communication open between us with e-mails. Just knowing it is correct will help rid yourself of hard feelings. However every situation is different.

[Lovey2]

Originally Posted by jnieman

Our neighbors both put in huge birdcages with huge pools. We had ARC come out both times to check to make sure they were in compliance since both butted up to our property. ARC told me the setback is now 7 ft where it used to be 10 ft for Sumter county. The neighbors don't act any different than they did before. We did keep the communication open between us with e-mails. Just knowing it is correct will help rid yourself of hard feelings. However every situation is different.

Yup, and people are different, for sure. Me, I'd prefer someone came to me directly. Then again, if I were doing something THAT big, I would have spoken to the neighbors first anyway. Glad it worked out and nobody got their feelings hurt.

[Bogie Shooter]

Originally Posted by jnieman

Our neighbors both put in huge birdcages with huge pools. We had ARC come out both times to check to make sure they were in compliance since both butted up to our property. ARC told me the setback is now 7 ft where it used to be 10 ft for Sumter county. The neighbors don't act any different than they did before. We did keep the communication open between us with e-mails. Just knowing it is correct will help rid yourself of hard feelings. However every situation is different.

Emails? I just walk over and talk to my neighbors........

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by Lovey2

P.S. I say this because a friend of mine had an "anonymous neighbor" call, and was made to go before the review board and remove some stones. etc. No neighbor admitted to calling, but they all expressed interest in what she was doing and why. She is VERY uncomfortable now with all the neighbor's behind her, and has even considered moving. A bad situation all around...better to "man up", as it were, and ask the neighbor yourself. Again, IMHO.

Would have even better if your friend knew the restrictions before she put in the stones . When someone does something in any neighborhood it impacts all the neighbors because all live so close together. . Understand the rules, follow the process and there should be no issues.

[Ozzello]

The setback for home construction (permanent structures. Poured concrete, walls etc. typically attached to the home) is 7.5 feet last word I heard. For landscape curbing, stack walls or the center trunk of a planted tree or shrub, was 2 feet. The ARC has changed a bit over the years on this, and it may still be using the 1 ft N of 466, 2 ft S of 466 to 466A , and 3 ft S of 466A... though it seems the 3 ft requirement may only be for the sides where folks are bottlenecking the drainage swales at the front corners.