Registering non running bus or other loopholes

[Pileatedtothepalm]

I have a 2006 painted and converted school bus that is parked near my house on my acre plus piece of property out in the country.A neighbor recently called code on me because he thinks the bus is an “eyesore” (it a cute pressure washed teal bus that is newer than my daily driver).
Basically my understanding is that the bus needs to be registered or parked in a garage.
I last started the bus over a year ago. I have enjoyed it more as a guest space since I do not feel totally comfortable driving my 37’ baby that I poured hundreds of hours into and have little experience driving such a large vehicle. And now it’s not cranking.
I am under the impression that I have to be able to drive the bus to register it, is that true? I think it would qualify as an rv if necessary
I am nervous to ask the wrong official people the wrong questions
Are there any other loopholes to be able to have it designated as an accessory dwelling?
I am located in north central Florida

Thank y’all for any help/recomendations

[Cheezewhiz]

I can't say anything for Florida specifically, but the one and only time a vehicle I've registered needed to run was to go in for a VIN inspection. And it just needed to be in the parking lot, they wouldn't have given a **** if it ran or not.

Also, with the DMV, if you don't get the answers you want from the first clerk, try, try again. A lot of phone calls can help you sharpen your search and what to say.

I just heard (from another thread here somewhere) Florida passed a real stupid law about sleeping in vehicles, so if it isn't registered as an rv... maybe don't?

I think your best bet (besides feeding the neighbor to the gators) would be to build a little shanty shack around it and paint it the same color as the house.

But that might get into other, stupider, bullshit laws

[Albatross]

Originally Posted by Cheezewhiz

I just heard (from another thread here somewhere) Florida passed a real stupid law about sleeping in vehicles, so if it isn't registered as an rv... maybe don't?

I think your best bet (besides feeding the neighbor to the gators) would be to build a little shanty shack around it and paint it the same color as the house.

But that might get into other, stupider, bullshit laws

So the law was specifically about sleeping in public.


Private places are exempted, and the law seemed primarily to preclude the kind of liberal nonsense where cities and townships try to make it legal to do the kind of bullshit that destroyed SanFranShitShow and has now destroyed Austin, TX. It made legal actions a thing against governments who tolerated that kind of thing.

Furthermore, the law also specifically eliminated any punishment for those who were caught sleeping in a vehicle in public.


The fact that your land is not public, nor open-to-the-public, means that it is specifically outside the bounds of that law.



But I second the motion of feeding the neighbor to the gators.

[Albatross]

Originally Posted by Pileatedtothepalm

I am nervous to ask the wrong official people the wrong questions.
Are there any other loopholes to be able to have it designated as an accessory dwelling?
I am located in north central Florida

Thank y’all for any help/recomendations

ALWAYS remember that, as one of (We, ) The People, all power and capabilities that government allegedly has ultimately derives from You, and that the government is effectively your employee, and a trustee tasked with guarding and protecting your property and your assets. Do not be afraid to point this out to them and call them out on it, and to demand that they perform their tasks to your satisfaction. Being nice is helpful, but being demanding is often necessary to accomplish what you're after. It does help to do a little research before walking into a building, especially if you can find out what the letter of the law says, and print out something with the codes on it, and highlighting the relevant sections. It is quite often that that government is staffed by the absolute worst-kind of midwits, who neither know nor care what you are trying to do, and simply want you to leave them alone, and the handful of times they're actually forced to do something, they just want to rubber-stamp whatever assembly-line of the same 5 forms they think they know and understand. I have had a LEO called on me to remove me from an office before, and calmly pointed out to the officer (who was there to remove me from the premises) while showing him the legal code that I am simply at the appropriate and appointed place to accomplish a task that is already written into the legal code, and that as soon as I can get some cooperation from the office that is legally defined as being the place to accomplish my task that I would happily leave. I was asked to step back from the counter, and then the person who was being a problem before-hand disappeared into the back, and a short time later came back up with a new form and a new stamp, and my problem was solved. Do not be afraid of dealing with the government, they work for you.


A possible solution to your problem would be to jack the bus up and build some stands out of cinder blocks or the like, nice and square, maybe three on each side, under the frame-rails, and then take the tires off and hide them in a garage or something along those lines. This is basically what they do with "mobile-homes", although it would actually be better if you removed the axles, and stored them underneath the building. Add some skirting hanging down from the sides, and 'Congratulations', you now own a bus-shaped accessory-dwelling structure. But I would caution you that, depending on your area and the level of interference government is comfortable inflicting upon the people that live there, you may also be required to change up the way some of your systems work, as you would now be facing different legal codes to building, construction, and potentially even permits and taxes.

[s2mikon]

What does it need to make it run? I was in that situation many years ago and I just moved it around once a month and told them to F.O.

[Iceni John]

Originally Posted by Albatross

A possible solution to your problem would be to jack the bus up and build some stands out of cinder blocks or the like, nice and square, maybe three on each side, under the frame-rails, and then take the tires off and hide them in a garage or something along those lines.

I would NEVER EVER put something as heavy as a bus, or even just a car, on cinder blocks. They have negligible compressive strength, so they'll probably crack or crumble under the weight. People die from being crushed under cars on cinder blocks when they collapse. At the very least, use concrete blocks made from high-PSI concrete, or better still proper jack stands or hardwood cribbing.

John

[Albatross]

Originally Posted by Iceni John

I would NEVER EVER put something as heavy as a bus, or even just a car, on cinder blocks. They have negligible compressive strength, so they'll probably crack or crumble under the weight. People die from being crushed under cars on cinder blocks when they collapse. At the very least, use concrete blocks made from high-PSI concrete, or better still proper jack stands or hardwood cribbing.

John

Sure, but the point still stands; anyone doing anything should do their own research on what the best way to go about it is.

[nikitis]

Originally Posted by Iceni John

I would NEVER EVER put something as heavy as a bus, or even just a car, on cinder blocks. They have negligible compressive strength, so they'll probably crack or crumble under the weight. People die from being crushed under cars on cinder blocks when they collapse. At the very least, use concrete blocks made from high-PSI concrete, or better still proper jack stands or hardwood cribbing.

John

The average cinder block is rated for 4000 lbs. That's assuming it was formed correctly in the mold without weakness in it so you can assume less than 4000 lbs support.

That being said, codes in multiple states and countries allow for homes and workshops to be stored on cinder blocks when 4 or more blocks are used per support to help distribute the weight. This would support a bus easily. Just don't use 1 cinder block per support.

Best to use a single flat concrete slab, then place 2 cinder blocks beside each other, then 2 more cinder blocks on those other two but criss crossed direction, then use 2x6's on top of the cinder blocks, and then wedges on top of that to adjust height and you'll be up to most codes in most places.

[Albatross]

My actual thinking when suggesting cinder blocks was to dig a hole a foot or two down, adding some concrete bags, then a concrete slab, and then building up a column using four cinder blocks stacked around a center core of probably some kind of 4"x4", and stacking them up as high as necessary before topping off with some 2"x8"s or 2"x 12"s. This is essentially the way a pier-and-beam foundation I lived in was repaired once.



I was not suggesting simply throwing a single cinder-block in sideways and hoping for the best, because that would be silly. I didn't expound more upon my idea because I thought everyone would understand that. Or they would do some research on their own, and come to the same conclusion.

[DeMac]

Originally Posted by Pileatedtothepalm

I have a 2006 painted and converted school bus that is parked near my house on my acre plus piece of property out in the country.A neighbor recently called code on me .
(......)
I am located in north central Florida

Thank y’all for any help/recomendations

-------------------







Hi, neighbor. 👋

I am located in Central Florida.
For us to more accurately answer your questions, please tell us more about the land on which your bus is parked.

Is the property on the same docket number as your home? If no, are the two properties contiguous?

Most importantly, zoning:
Is the property zoned Agricultural, Residential or Commercial?

Are you within the city limits of a governing body or is the property outside of any city jurisdiction? HOA?



My response to the question of driving the bus to tag registration office. DO NOT ever drive a any vehicle without a tag. Use the telephone or web to obtain insurance on the vehicle, then bring the title (in your name or signed by previous owner) or bill of sale, valid DL & proof of insurance to the dmv.

If you are on A1 land, register the vehicle to your farm. But not as an are-vee.

To register a motor vehicle for an agricultural license plate, you can complete the Application for Registration of a Motor Vehicle for Agricultural (Restricted), Horticultural (Restricted) OR "Goat" License Plate. You can submit the completed form to your local tax collector office.

The restricted tags limit you to Ag transport within 150 miles of your farm or the county line, for your farm only, not opp farms. Must be driven by you or any licensed or unlicensed family member on your farm.

The $7.50 Goat license plate requires NO insurance and the goat vehicle ought not leave the farm. Must remain on the property per state statute Section 320.08 (3)(d), Florida Statutes, defines a "goat" as "a truck or any other vehicle when used in the field by a farmer or in the woods for the purpose of harvesting crops, livestock....(more)....."

That's your best loophole. The state Statute preventing the vehicle from leaving your property and a clean crisp license plate with the current year on it. When they run the plate, it wont be an RV or Commercial vehicle, farm equipment MUST stay on the land. So🖕to the county & the neighbor. State laws are cool

($7.50/yr & no insurance, but I'm plated) silly 😜 me

[AlphaHare]

Originally Posted by DeMac

That's your best loophole. The state Statute preventing the vehicle from leaving your property and a clean crisp license plate with the current year on it. When they run the plate, it wont be an RV or Commercial vehicle, farm equipment MUST stay on the land. So🖕to the county & the neighbor. State laws are cool

($7.50/yr & no insurance, but I'm plated) silly 😜 me

THAT is brilliant.

My daughter figured out how to get her driver license about a year early by discovering a similar Ag law in Maine. Limited to home, school, and work, with curfews. My insurance company had never heard of it but it was true. I was so impressed I said go for it, and at that moment figured out who the executrix of my estate would be.

[Shortbusjohnny65]

Do you have the title? If yes call the sheriffs office non emergency number tell them you need VIN verified. You can print one out and have it filled out when they get there have a blank one handy. That is how I did it in Charlotte county FLA. Then take pictures of inside sink, bathroom, bedroom etc. then go to tag office and get title in your name register it as a RV and get your tags.