Good news! I have to drive my truck to work. Thank you, HOA!

[Syonyk]

If the truck sits more than 48h, they'll tow it.

So they've pretty much told me, "Well, it's nice that you bicycle to work, but move your truck regularly, or we'll tow it."  I assume "Move it 20 feet" probably doesn't count, because HOA.

Should be about a gallon of diesel a day.

I cannot wait until I don't have to deal with HOAs.  This is utterly absurd.

[frugalnacho]

Is your truck under 24 hour surveillance?  If not how could they possibly know you didn't drive it and park in the same spot?

HOAs are bullshit.

[jba302]

What do the bylaws specifically state? It can't possibly be "your vehicle must be moved and absent from the property for at least x hours per day."

[jj20051]

Don't you have a garage you can put it in or perhaps talk your boss into letting you park it at work so you can bike there?

Also that law seems rather illegal. What happens if say you're disabled and only need to leave your house once a week or every few weeks?

[slugline]

WTF? Your residents can't even enjoy a three-day weekend without being compelled to drive? It might be worth running for the board to get a rule like this changed. I'm guessing this is an HOA-owned lot or garage and they don't want residents using it as a storage area for non-operating cars. But usually just requiring a valid state registration/inspection sticker would discourage most of that.

[Wupper]

Yep. HOA's are bullshit.

I'm thinking about getting a seat on the board just so I can shut the damn thing down. I can't think of a bigger waste of $$ than the $325 check I have to write every year.

[Syonyk]

It's parked nicely on the street in front of my house.

The bylaws say it has to move every 48 hours or they'll tow it. (Street parking)

Someone new got the enforcement position and has decided to act on this.

It won't fit in my garage. Too tall, wide, and long. Nor will the car unless we sell motorcycles and bicycles and everything else moving we keep in there. And then if I park the truck in the driveway my wife will have to move it every single time she wants to go anywhere because the truck will block the car in.

[innkeeper77]

I'm missing something here- why not keep the car in front of the truck, so the car blocks the truck in?

Good luck- convincing them to allow street parking would be a lot more difficult than driveway, garage etc. (I love not having an HOA, but I do wish people parking on the street would be more careful to not park ON the sidewalk... oh well)

[Argyle]

The thing that isn't driven much (the truck) gets parked in the driveway.  The thing that is driven more often (the car?) gets parked in the street.  No?

[jj20051]

The thing that isn't driven much (the truck) gets parked in the driveway.  The thing that is driven more often (the car?) gets parked in the street.  No?

That would solve his problem for now until the laws are changed.

[Cpa Cat]

I'm failing to see why you even own a truck. So far you've listed at least three vehicles that you'd rather use: car, motorcycle and bicycle.

While I'm not a big fan of HOA's, "I've got too many vehicles for my garage" or "My truck is too large to fit in my garage" don't seem like great excuses for leaving your truck parked on the street indefinitely.

[Argyle]

Also, having to move your truck from one parking space to another every second day isn't the same as having to drive your truck to work.  Folks in New York have to move their car from one side of the street to another all the time.  That doesn't mean they have to drive anywhere to do it.

[Syonyk]

I'm missing something here- why not keep the car in front of the truck, so the car blocks the truck in?

The driveway will fit either one car, or one truck.  I can't put both in the driveway, and saying the truck "fits" in the driveway is a stretch.

The thing that isn't driven much (the truck) gets parked in the driveway.  The thing that is driven more often (the car?) gets parked in the street.  No?

It's a possibility, but it means that my (really very pregnant) wife will have to trudge through mud to get the soon-to-be-born kid in the car, since the child seat only fits on the passenger side.  And the spirit of the thing, since nobody complained for the past 3 years I did the exact same thing, and threatening towing as a first exchange is absurd.

I'm failing to see why you even own a truck. So far you've listed at least three vehicles that you'd rather use: car, motorcycle and bicycle.

Because my wife & I are involved with an antique car club with her parents, and they're heavy to tow (6k lbs worth of car & trailer is trivial) - we don't have a car yet, but we tow the trouble trailer and generally help moving them around as needed.  Also, hauling large things, which I find myself doing surprisingly often, either for myself (furniture on CL), or for friends (helping them move large things), or just for profit (making dump runs for people, since it's actually quite profitable to do so).  We're pretty much the only people in our circle of friends/coworkers who own a truck, and since it's not often driven, having it sit doesn't really cost that much.

The motorcycles are sitting, since my wife is pregnant, and we aren't exactly riding much right now (I still ride, but not nearly as often).  The value of them, used, is minimal, so keeping them around until we can ride more (including as a family) makes sense.

Also, having to move your truck from one parking space to another every second day isn't the same as having to drive your truck to work.  Folks in New York have to move their car from one side of the street to another all the time.  That doesn't mean they have to drive anywhere to do it.

I have yet to get confirmation that moving it around in the neighborhood counts.  The responses have been incredibly passive aggressive, and when I asked if I should drive it to work, she responded with, "You can start doing that for now."  Won't tell me when they're towing or even if they're towing, and they haven't been chalking wheels or anything, so I assume someone is just walking around in the middle of the day seeing what vehicles are present.

[MDM]

Can you quote the exact bylaw here?  There are enough Mustachian legal types on these forums that you might get a hair-splitting strategy you would like....

[Syonyk]

The best I have so far:

Cars must be moved every 48 hours

[EngineerMum]

Truck mostly sits, and main use is helping PILs move antique car? Can truck sit at PIL's home rather than yours? just a thought.

[Syonyk]

Not really. They're 500 miles away. And we move a lot of stuff locally as well.

We're planning to move closer to them in a year.

The uses of it, generally, justify a truck. I put very few miles on it that aren't hauling things. At least so far.

[MDM]

The best I have so far:

Cars must be moved every 48 hours

Ok, so every other day you move it...one foot forward, or one foot backward.

You can do it the easy way: turning on the engine and using combustion power.  Or the semi-badass: put it in neutral and push by hand.  Or the full-badass: either keep it in park and push, or pick it up - by hand either way.

But if they haven't defined "moved", as long as you "move" it then it seems they have no basis for proceeding against you.  Thoughts...?

[MgoSam]

I'm looking for a house and was originally thinking of a townhouse, but HOA have turned me off. If nothing else, I could hire someone to handle lawn and snow care for far less than the association fee (though I plan on just doing it on my own of course). Plus then my backyard will be mine to make a garden and I can avoid unnecessary rules such as this (though of course, cities have their ordinances that I will need to be wary of).

[Goldielocks]

Dude,

Why did you buy a home that did not have the parking you needed?  And did not fit your vehicle?  That is beyond absurd IMO.   

It is very common here to not allow overnight street parking in HOA areas, and I am always amazed when people complain.  Neighbors have every right to expect that HOA rules are enforced, and I bet a lot of them REALLY REALLY hate any street parking for more than 6 hours -- and that was a big factor on why they chose to live there -- the wide empty streets look nice and provide lots of visitor parking or cycling, etc...   

Heck, one municipality here says that the entire CITY can only park a max of 3 hours on the street during daytime..

Just sell the truck, for something smaller (or nothing?),  and some of the stuff filling your garage, and you are all set.  Or rent your neighbors' parking spot / garage for your stuff.  or rent a storage locker, or....?

Totally different story if this was parked in your driveway, but it's not.

[Syonyk]

Ok, so every other day you move it...one foot forward, or one foot backward.

You can do it the easy way: turning on the engine and using combustion power.  Or the semi-badass: put it in neutral and push by hand.  Or the full-badass: either keep it in park and push, or pick it up - by hand either way.

But if they haven't defined "moved", as long as you "move" it then it seems they have no basis for proceeding against you.  Thoughts...?

They haven't defined move, but I'm pretty sure if I don't do what makes them happy, they tow it.  The person I contacted essentially said, "Drive it regularly or we tow it."

I'm waiting for clarification, and since I'm going to be on parental leave soon, I intend to get clarification before then, because BOTH of us are going to be home for a month or so with minimal travel, depending on how the kid is natured.

Why did you buy a home that did not have the parking you needed?  And did not fit your vehicle?  That is beyond absurd IMO.

Serious answer?  Because despite a raise moving to Seattle, I couldn't afford something with a 2 car garage in the area my work is.  I've been very rent-poor before (50+% going to rent because I thought I could find roommates), and had no interest in doing so again.  And the first 3 years we lived here, nobody cared about the Subaru or the truck that replaced it.  There are plenty of other vehicles parked on the street on a regular basis as well, though I believe most of them got the notices as well.

Just sell the truck, for something smaller (or nothing?),  and some of the stuff filling your garage, and you are all set.  Or rent your neighbors' parking spot / garage for your stuff.  or rent a storage locker, or....?

Well, unless I sell *everything* in the garage, I can't fit a car, so that doesn't make much sense to get rid of some of it.  The motorcycles were used heavily when we lived in Albuquerque (hardly a weekend went by that my wife & I didn't ride somewhere, and I rode a motorcycle everywhere - I won't claim it was the most efficient way to get around, but quality-of-life-wise, it was amazing), and will be used again once we leave the hellhole that is Seattle.

And, in case you failed to notice above, I use the truck, as a truck, fairly regularly.  It's surprisingly profitable being "the only guy people know with a truck."  So I'd rather not sell it, since it was a truck I purchased to keep around for the next 20-30 years as a stuff-mover.

Worst case, I drive it a few times a week for the next year.  Moving to Seattle was a big mistake, despite what people told us, and we're leaving for somewhere we actually like as soon as our lease is up.

I have, however, started a "CO2 emissions tracker" spreadsheet to keep in the window.  I don't really care, but I suspect a lot of people who live around me do.

[msilenus]

I'm on my HOA board.  We recently reinstated parking enforcement.  I made the motion and voted for it.  The guest spots were often full of residents, so guests couldn't park.  Neighbors were complaining.  When an HOA doesn't enforce parking rules, then people start letting their garages fill up with non-car stuff, or even start repurposing them for living area.  To offset their loss of internal parking, they externalize their parking needs to the common areas.  It's a classic tragedy of the commons situation.

Your HOA is putting a small tax on the commons.  What they're imposing is a convenience cost, but you seem intent on promoting that to whatever gas costs you to switch from bike to truck commuting.  (That's your decision, not theirs.)

Another option is to park off of the HOA-run property.  (City street parking.  Maybe even your work.)  That's what I do with my second car which I don't use much.  The city doesn't seem to mind my externalizing my parking needs nearly as much as my neighbors did.  Nothing wrong with hoofing it a bit, especially if you only rarely use it.

[Syonyk]

The overflow lot is full. As is my work lot (valet parking most of the day, which is part of why I bike). So neither is an option.

I don't consider motorcycles and bicycles to be unreasonable things to keep in a garage.

I also can't find anything referenced for this except a new bit of phrasing on the website from the last few months, which I was not notified of, which is just stating "vehicles must move every 48 hours."

And nobody is giving me answers about when they intend to start towing, or what they use as evidence. They're not chalking wheels, so a short trip may be missed. Since I'm going to be on paternity leave soon, this matters. If I go to the store, the vehicle has moved. But if whoever walks around missed that, they may still tow me.

A several hundred dollar tow bill is quite a few months of diesel. Plus repairs, since I assume tow companies will destroy the truck in the process of getting it out of the neighborhood, and are not liable for any damages.

[msilenus]

I'm trying to visualize where you must live.  As near as I can tell, there's an HOA-owned complex with an adjacent overflow lot.  Everything else for miles around is a gaping wound in the Earth belching lava, with a bridge to your work where you also can't park.  From your work there's another miles-long bridge over to the rest of civilization which has the nearest available street parking.

You said you were in Seattle, but what you're describing sounds more like Spokane.

[Syonyk]

I'm in a normal residential area with single family homes and duplexes. I park on the street. Surrounding me is a whole lot more residential area, presumably with their own unmarked parking laws. And a few schools. Imagine suburban h*ll. You're pretty close.

I'm fairly sure the streets are city owned here, which I will be verifying tomorrow. Along with relevant city parking regulations. I cannot find any evidence of this being mentioned anywhere when I moved in 3 years ago, nor can I find any relevant meeting minutes when it was changed.

[Goldielocks]

The overflow lot is full. As is my work lot (valet parking most of the day, which is part of why I bike). So neither is an option.

I don't consider motorcycles and bicycles to be unreasonable things to keep in a garage.

I also can't find anything referenced for this except a new bit of phrasing on the website from the last few months, which I was not notified of, which is just stating "vehicles must move every 48 hours."

And nobody is giving me answers about when they intend to start towing, or what they use as evidence. They're not chalking wheels, so a short trip may be missed. Since I'm going to be on paternity leave soon, this matters. If I go to the store, the vehicle has moved. But if whoever walks around missed that, they may still tow me.

A several hundred dollar tow bill is quite a few months of diesel. Plus repairs, since I assume tow companies will destroy the truck in the process of getting it out of the neighborhood, and are not liable for any damages.

Wow,  you are getting much close(r) to a lot of complainy-pants justification, when quite a few decent solutions have been brought forward... not all solutions will fit, but more than one of these seems plausible to me...

-- motorcycles, bikes, workshop, storage -- all are reasonable garage uses, except that you have no where to park your car now.   
-- overflow lot is full -- if not assigned parking, just wait for that one magical opening, and take it and keep your truck there for weeks on end without moving it.
-- renting a storage or parking space somewhere (near or far) is still an option, as is parking the truck with your PIL's or even a friend's home.
-- When looking, there must have been homes that allowed you to park your truck on site, or pay for a outdoor spot, or ?? when you chose your townhome, but I bet you never even considered the parking problem..


Can you even park that thing fully in front of your townhouse, or is it partially in front of your neighbor too?   Townhouses here are quite narrow, I bet Seattle too.   I hate it when the neighbor parks in front of my home  / front window, leaving no space for visitors...

[Syonyk]

It's not a town home. Nor is it an apartment complex. It's standalone houses and duplexes on a city street. There is no assigned parking except driveways.

There is plenty of on street parking, which is commonly used by many people.  Me included.

And, based on my research so far, this was not a regulation when I moved in. It magically appeared very recently, and is not mentioned in any meeting notes I can find. Nor can I find anything requiring cars to be kept in a garage.

So far, it's looking like a very bored busybody who walks around during the day to see what's parked where.

[msilenus]

Ask a board member what's up (if it's a new rule, minutes might not exist yet) and check your bylaws.  In our case the rules are hard to change, so we were only able to act because we were changing enforcement policy within existing rules.  You're leasing, so you're probably not plugged into that stuff, but a neighbor or your landlord should be able to point you at one.

Most likely, IMO, the rules are longstanding and your HOA is just changing enforcement, likely in response to complaints as you note.  If they're singling you out, then that might be bogus.  Is your truck an eyesore?

I should note that I don't live in your state, and have no idea what laws govern what HOAs can do where you live.  But those are the things I'd look into based on how I know our own actions are constrained.

[Syonyk]

Yeah, I'm finding out what I can. One of my neighbors is the secretary, so I'm trying to get recent meeting notes.

Truck is in great shape, physically and mechanically. It's a bit dirty, but that's it.

And I'd rather not sell it, since it took a good long while to find one in this shape and it's got another 20-30 years in it. Plus, as noted, it's used as a truck regularly.

[Louisville]

The overflow lot is full. As is my work lot (valet parking most of the day, which is part of why I bike). So neither is an option.

I don't consider motorcycles and bicycles to be unreasonable things to keep in a garage.

I also can't find anything referenced for this except a new bit of phrasing on the website from the last few months, which I was not notified of, which is just stating "vehicles must move every 48 hours."

And nobody is giving me answers about when they intend to start towing, or what they use as evidence. They're not chalking wheels, so a short trip may be missed. Since I'm going to be on paternity leave soon, this matters. If I go to the store, the vehicle has moved. But if whoever walks around missed that, they may still tow me.

A several hundred dollar tow bill is quite a few months of diesel. Plus repairs, since I assume tow companies will destroy the truck in the process of getting it out of the neighborhood, and are not liable for any damages.

Wow,  you are getting much close(r) to a lot of complainy-pants justification, when quite a few decent solutions have been brought forward... not all solutions will fit, but more than one of these seems plausible to me...

-- motorcycles, bikes, workshop, storage -- all are reasonable garage uses, except that you have no where to park your car now.   
-- overflow lot is full -- if not assigned parking, just wait for that one magical opening, and take it and keep your truck there for weeks on end without moving it.
-- renting a storage or parking space somewhere (near or far) is still an option, as is parking the truck with your PIL's or even a friend's home.
-- When looking, there must have been homes that allowed you to park your truck on site, or pay for a outdoor spot, or ?? when you chose your townhome, but I bet you never even considered the parking problem..


Can you even park that thing fully in front of your townhouse, or is it partially in front of your neighbor too?   Townhouses here are quite narrow, I bet Seattle too.   I hate it when the neighbor parks in front of my home  / front window, leaving no space for visitors...

Bolding mine. Dude, you've got too much stuff. Man up and get rid of some of it.

[boarder42]

This is a very common rule in most municipalities.  I had the same issue when i had a 3rd car my truck.  The city flagged it.  The intent is to get rid of vehicles just left on the road.  Its not a bad law.  They have to be doing something to make sure it hasnt moved though IE chalking your tire.  I would just go check your tires for a chalk mark every couple days and if you see one wipe it off.  They just dont want inoperable vehicles sitting all over town.  This is likely a city ordinance not just an HOA thing.   

[boarder42]

find out who the board members are and move your truck every other day in front of their houses.  so they cant park there. 

[jba302]

If I were a betting man, someone (probably old, probably retired) got real tired of your big truck sitting on the road and decided to allocate all sorts of free time to solving the biggest perceivable problem in his/her life.

[Syonyk]

I've been checking for chalk. No such things I can find.

[frugalnacho]

find out who the board members are and move your truck every other day in front of their houses.  so they cant park there.

[Syonyk]

This is a very common rule in most municipalities.  I had the same issue when i had a 3rd car my truck.  The city flagged it.

Also, this very definitely was not the city.  It was someone from the HOA.  And, may be at odds with city laws regarding vehicle parking on streets.

Selling a few things doesn't resolve the issue, unless I sell pretty much all the things, and then it still doesn't resolve the issue, because my wife wouldn't be able to get out of the garage with another vehicle (any sort) in the driveway.  So short of entirely selling all the moving things, which won't work in a year when we move to rural Idaho, it's not a solution.

[boarder42]

I doubt its at odds with city laws. your HOA can have extra ordinances but most cities have the same ordinance.  about moving every 2 days.  Just because your HOA is enforcing something doesnt mean its not a law at the city level. 

[mtn]

My thoughts: For everyone telling him to sell something, STAHP. He doesn't want to, and when he moved in he had all the space he needed. He shouldn't have too. Now the HOA is effectively telling him that there are new rules (assuming so, since he can't find them anywhere) and he never agreed to them.

However, if you're moving out soon... Just move the truck Monday morning, Tuesday night, Thursday morning, Friday night, etc. Doesn't sound like there are any regulations about how far you move it, so it would probably take about 15 minutes total a week. Do it on your way out the door or your way in. Literally move it across the street or to the next house, and back each day. Take a picture on your phone in case they do tow it. And go to the next HOA meeting and figure out what is up.

[GuitarStv]

Heh.

A guy I lived with in university had a car parked in the driveway of the row house that we were renting.  He was away for the summer, but I was living there.  I guess the passenger side front tire sprung a leak and went flat at some point over the summer.  Then tickets started appearing on his car every night.

Every.  Single.  Night.

I checked the tickets, they read "illegally parked vehicle on private property".  So I stayed up until 3:00 in the morning to ask the guy writing the tickets what was going on.  He told me that the city had ordered him to ticket the vehicle.  In the private driveway that it was parked in.  So the next day I went to the city office and asked about the ticket.  They told me that the HOA had told them that the car was parked illegally in the driveway.  So I went to the HOA office (only open from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm every second Wednesday).  Asked them why they were ticketing my friend's car . . . in our driveway.

They said that they wanted me to move the car because of the flat tire.  I explained the situation and managed to get them to call the city and cancel the 15-16 parking tickets that the car had been given by that time.  I filled up the tire with a bike pump every couple weeks and the tickets stopped.

It's always fun dealing with HOAs.

[Cpa Cat]

Selling a few things doesn't resolve the issue, unless I sell pretty much all the things, and then it still doesn't resolve the issue, because my wife wouldn't be able to get out of the garage with another vehicle (any sort) in the driveway.  So short of entirely selling all the moving things, which won't work in a year when we move to rural Idaho, it's not a solution.

Well, I guess you're stuck moving it every couple of days, then. For what you pay to maintain and insure your truck, you could probably rent a truck for all the times you need to tow something or haul something. Although those of us without stately trucks do manage to get things to and from our home through alternate means. It's my opinion that moving things for other people is by far the silliest reason to own a truck.

You moved into a neighborhood with an HOA. People who like HOA's choose to move into neighborhoods with HOA's because an HOA ensures that everything in the neighborhood is neat and orderly, because that's the kind of neighborhood they want to live in. They don't want to live somewhere where their neighbors leave rarely-used vehicles in the street, or hang their underpants out on clothesline, have dog runs, or backyard chickens, or have front-yard vegetable gardens. Those people did the right thing by choosing to buy a home in a neighborhood with an HOA.

People who don't like HOA's should not move into neighborhoods with HOA's. The rule you're complaining about is the predictable outcome of an HOA. The vast majority of your neighbors would probably prefer not to see your massive, diesel-guzzling truck sitting on the street as long-term storage. Good for them for choosing a neighborhood that has an HOA.

It doesn't matter if this is a new rule. You agreed to be bound by the HOA's rules. Whatever those rules may be. The HOA has every right to impose new rules, as long as they introduce them according to the process that governs the HOA. You had (and have) every right to participate in that process. Clearly, you chose not to attend meetings.

[sol]

You moved into a neighborhood with an HOA.

That way my first question as well:  why?  Why would a person with two vehicles move to place with only one parking spot that doesn't allow street parking?

Regadless of all the other drama, that's basically the crux of the problem.  OP wants to have two vehicles in a place that apparently only allows one.  There are a variety of solutions to this problem...

1.  move to a place that has more parking
2.  get rid of a vehicle
3.  try to change the rules about street parking, while
4.  moving your truck every day.

[mtn]

You moved into a neighborhood with an HOA.

That way my first question as well:  why?  Why would a person with two vehicles move to place with only one parking spot that doesn't allow street parking?

Regadless of all the other drama, that's basically the crux of the problem.  OP wants to have two vehicles in a place that apparently only allows one.

Because, once again, he didn't move to that place. The place that he moved to had no issue with street parking. That place changed and is apparently no longer.

[Syonyk]

It wasn't an issue when we moved in, and I'd asked about it, because I knew we were using the garage for motorcycle parking.  Everyone assured me it wouldn't be a problem, which it hasn't been, for the past 3 years.  Literally not one complaint.  Occasionally people asking me to help move stuff or haul it to the dump when I was making a run and tossing me some cash, which was fine with me.  Also, the area absolutely does allow street parking, and it's quite common.  There's plenty of room in the neighborhood for the cars.  I'd say perhaps 30% of the street parking is used.

And we're moving in a year.  Unfortunately, the lease is already signed for this (as of 6 months ago), so we're sort of stuck in this location.

I consider it a lesson learned about HOAs, even when people insist they're not a problem - they will become one at some point.  Actually, the whole Seattle experiment has been a lesson, but that's a different thread.

As for those insisting that a truck is silly, that's fine.  It might be for you.  Hauling 48U metal server racks & such in a Fit won't happen, the storage requirements for a trailer are far more annoying (also, Seattle area hills, a small car, and a heavy trailer don't work - this isn't Iowa), and I really don't mind hauling stuff for other people on occasion, especially when they're willing to pay me for it.  I have it, it's paid for, I do all the work on it myself, and the cost of it sitting around to be used when I need it isn't something my wife & I lose any sleep over.  Being able to jump on good deals because we're the only people calling about something who can actually move it, on the other hand, is quite nice.

[BlueHouse]

Send a certified letter to the HOA requesting to have the bylaws sent to you so that you can follow them as closely as possible.  Let the HOA know that you want to comply and need to see the documents to make sure you follow the rules.  Also let them know that you'll be moving in a year.  If someone just doesn't like you or your truck, maybe seeing the light at the end of the tunnel will help them calm down about it. 

[Syonyk]

The bylaws and such are posted on the website.  None of them seem to state anything relevant.  There's just a new phrase on the front page of the website saying "Cars must be moved every 48 hours" - and nothing else.

[mtn]

With that, I would send a certified letter stating the following:

• You were not required to, and did not sign anything stating that you had to move a street parked vehicle every 48 hours 
• There is nothing in the by-laws or local municipalities stating such an ordinance/rule 
• If the vehicle is towed, you will be reporting it to the police as a stolen vehicle and pressing charges as it was not in violation of any by-laws or laws or ordinances 

[mtn]

Oh, it being Seattle and all, might want to include something about EPA and emissions making the ice cubes melt.

[Syonyk]

Oh, it being Seattle and all, might want to include something about EPA and emissions making the ice cubes melt.

I'm actually already keeping a log of "Miles driven simply to avoid the HOA towing me," which I will be sticking in the window for passers-by to observe, with an email address they can contact the person in charge of the policy at if they'd like to see it clarified so I'm not clogging up traffic and putting out a lot of unneeded emissions simply because someone won't answer questions.

And then in a few weeks, I'll be on paternity leave, so will... dunno, go turn the steering wheel every few days.  I really don't think this is any more rigorous than "I walk past and see it's parked there."  Which probably means I should stop parking in the same spot (I've got the parking down by feel of the road edge so I'm within a few inches every time).

[BlueHouse]

The bylaws and such are posted on the website.  None of them seem to state anything relevant.  There's just a new phrase on the front page of the website saying "Cars must be moved every 48 hours" - and nothing else.

Bold is from me. This is why you want to ask their help to determine what they think is relevant.  They should be able to point you to the exact and precise section of the bylaws.  A statement that "just went up" on a website is not a bylaw.  So rather than going around in circles, with what you believe vs. what they believe, why not just ask? 

[zinnie]

Send a certified letter to the HOA requesting to have the bylaws sent to you so that you can follow them as closely as possible.  Let the HOA know that you want to comply and need to see the documents to make sure you follow the rules.  Also let them know that you'll be moving in a year.  If someone just doesn't like you or your truck, maybe seeing the light at the end of the tunnel will help them calm down about it.

This. Handle this like a professional. Don't stoop to the level of people you are describing as "passive aggressive" by doing the same thing in your front window. Addressing things like this directly is usually best. Express a desire to see the specific regulation they are referring to in writing so you can be sure you are complying with it. If they can't provide it they will have to tell you that direcly. If you believe the parking is a city street make sure you know the city street parking rules as well. Needing to move a vehicle every two days doesn't seem unreasonable. Until you hear more, I would just move to a different parking spot every few days. They can't force you to drive to work without a specific rule about how long the vehicle has to be gone.