The Denver Channel – by Lance Hernandez
CONIFER, COLO. — Clem Smith says he was homeless for six years, but he doesn’t consider himself homeless anymore, because he lives in a motor home with its own address.
The RV is parked on property, in Conifer, that he purchased in March with an inheritance from his mother’s estate.
Of the $214,000 inheritance, he spent $125,000 for the property and put the rest into improvements for a power connection, water well, septic drawings, septic engineering and road engineering.
He also bought an old front end loader, a dump truck, used car, shipping container and a chicken coop with four hens. All are parked on his property.
He said he’s planning to build a house and spend the rest of his life there. It’s his ultimate dream.
But that dream is falling apart.
After a neighbor complained about the RV, shipping container and trash, Smith was cited for code violations.
The complaint alleges that he’s allowing the outdoor storage of those items on vacant land and that he was going to allow people to live in the shipping container.
Smith said that’s hogwash.
“I believe the person that complained came in (the shipping container) and saw a dresser and thought people were going to try to live here,” he said.
Smith said, in reality, the dresser is his “workbench” and he uses it to store tools and paperwork.
Jeanie Rossillon, Jefferson County’s director of development and transportation, said that under existing code, the RV is considered an accessory and cannot be parked on the property without a house. Ditto for the shipping container.
Smith says he will build one, but needs more time. In the meantime, he wants to live in his RV and leave it parked on his property.
“I own this property,” he told Denver7, with emotion welling up in his voice. “I paid for it in cash. It’s all mine. I should be able to live on it for a certain amount of time, while I’m surveying, engineering or planning.”
According to the complaint, Smith will face a fine of $500 to $1,000 if he doesn’t move the RV and shipping container.
“I shouldn’t have to pay a fine, I’m not a criminal,” he said.
Rossillon says Smith has been given extra time to come into compliance with the codes.
She said the basic codes exist for a reason — health, safety and welfare.
“It’s also about expectations,” she said, “and balancing everyone’s property rights.”
Smith says he has very little money left to move everything.
He worries that he’ll end up being homeless again and that he’ll have to park his RV at Walmart.
“I don’t think it’s fair,” he added, “I’ve been on the homeless circuit for several years and everybody at the campgrounds and at Walmart, is hoping to get a piece of property and build their own home.”
Denver7 checked and found that there have been similar issues in other counties.
Codes are similar with some minor variations.
Douglas County
In Douglas County, a “temporary residence” (temporary structure) is allowed in certain districts. The temporary permit is valid for only 6 months and may be renewed for a maximum of three times.
Before a temporary permit is issued, a building permit shall be obtained for a permanent residence, and a $2,000 bond shall be posted with the Building Division.
Boulder County
In Boulder County, you can only “camp” for 14 days out of the year.
Owning land in America is a joke. It’s a rigged game.
This guy should have done a little homework. He came in strong and now he’s screwed
He shouldn’t worry. “Our troops” will be coming to “defend his freedom” any time now. That’s what they do, right? Protect our freedom?
Yep, they show up and free you from this mortal coil by putting a bullet in you. Congratulations, your free.
She said the basic codes exist for a reason — health, safety and welfare.
Yeah, BS on that, these codes exist to force people to build a big box called a house so they can get hosed on taxes to pay the king’s cut. Can’t tax an RV.
Jew-merika. There is no man so completely enslaved as the slave who believes he is ‘free!’
She said the basic codes exist for a reason — health, safety and welfare.
“It’s also about expectations,” she said, “and balancing everyone’s property rights.”
Nope, it’s about rule and control. Land of the fee and home of the slave.
USA! USA! USA! Beer, football, worship the cops, army and marines now, nothing to see here. Citizen #433-553-55444 is guilty till proven innocent via bullet lobotomy. The queer communist living next door who started this is a model citizen. Move along.
I have a neighbor sorta like that prick who turned him in, he spies on everyone.
Like the county treasurer told me last week before she hung up on me.
After I busted her balls going over my property taxes for services they don’t provide me.
“Their is A Hierarchy Here.”
I don’t mean to sound sexist.
But it seems like every fkng time I have to deal with a government agency for some type of complaint or grievance….
It’s always a goddammed woman screwing me over.
Talking about Satan’s right hand lackeys.
But that’s just me and I could be wrong.
God bless you brother,
Think about you all the time. You did exactly what this person did in this article, yet he’s been crucified, you played it a little different and was able to pull it off.
“I own this property,” he told Denver7, with emotion welling up in his voice. “I paid for it in cash. It’s all mine.”
Guess again.
You’re still paying property taxes, and the so-called ‘government’ is still telling you what you can & cannot do on it.
The ONLY way it’s ‘all yours’ is with an allodial title.
And the only state (supposedly) that you can allodial title in is Texas–unless, of course, your “property” is in a “Property Owners Association” (which, unfortunately, ours is), a POA. We tried getting allodial title, but being in a POA, we couldn’t.
I first discovered allodial titles while researching the strawman concept, DL. They’re supposed to be universal across the country, at least originally.
I believe we’re about to the point that they will no longer be ‘honored’ at all.
Just another reason our closest “neighbors” are over half a mile away. When we bought our property, we made SURE the closest neighbors would be half a mile away! (Our property is on a mountainside, in a box canyon, along a creek, and no one can see our house from the road what with the trees).
The day we have “neighbors”, aka busy bodies, is the day we are moving into another house, won’t say which one.