Do You Have Neighbors Like This? Could be Fined $300 in St. Cloud

We all want to be good neighbors, right?  We all want to get along with people and not be bothered by others.  What happens when this is not the case?  Do you have a neighbor that has a place that is a complete eyesore?

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We have lived in several towns in the midwest.  And one thing that we have not had often is good neighbors.  Finally, here in St. Cloud, we have great neighbors.  The kind of neighbors that will help you out if you need it, the kind that will always wave at you as you drive by.  Other friends of ours who came to visit recently said they felt like they were in a parade because everyone waves.  We're a friendly bunch.

What happens when things go awry with your neighbors?  For instance, they have a ton of junk that just starts to pile up on their lawn, in their driveway, etc.  And it's not something where they were cleaning out the garage and they are getting rid of a bunch of stuff. Junk.  It's when they have a bunch of junk outside and it doesn't go away.  Complete eyesore to the rest of the neighborhood.

Apparently you can be fined for that in St. Cloud.  You can call the city, or the police and they will come and possibly issue a fine for $300.  The owner would be given some time to clean up the mess.  If they don't comply within a certain amount of time, then they may incur the fine.

If a violation exists, the property owner will be given no longer than 10 days to clean up the nuisance. Failure to clean up nuisances may result in the issuance of administrative citations, which are fines starting at $300. The city may also contract to have the nuisance cleaned up and will then assess those costs to the property owner.

Here is the thing, if you want to stay on friendly terms with your neighbors, whether they have a bunch of junk in their yard or not, it's best to try and talk to them first.  Don't just pick up the phone immediately and call it in.  You won't make any friends that way.  But you do you.

Hopefully there is no one like that in your neighborhood, and make sure that person isn't you!