Loading the front of your house with old cars or a bunch of crap to look like a junk yard is disrespectful to your neighbors.  period.   If you do this, you suck.  

BUT, an unmowed lawn?  What if a handicapped, elderly, or any physically unable person lived next door to you and couldn't afford to hire someone to mow their lawn?   What if your neighbor worked 12 hour days and didn't have time and yet didn't want to hire people because of trust issues?  And yes, there are some people who are perfectly capable of mowing a lawn, they just don't want to.  Should we force these people to tidy up their yards?  Should we kick out the people physically unable or too poor to keep their yard up?  Yes, there are laws against having a junk yard on your property in CA, but there isn't a law that says you have to mow your lawn or keep it tidy, and I for one am glad there isn't.   I don't want all of CA to one big HOA.  YIKES!    I like what Ginger said... we shouldn't judge our neighbor by the way they take care of their yard.

I understand about concerns that the value of your house may go down if the neighbor's house is a mess.   I don't think it would cost much and it would be a wonderful gift to your neighbor if you helped them with the yard just prior to you selling your house.   A little paint, mow their lawn... boom problem solved!  You have helped your neighbor and yourself....Put your forsale sign up.

Goober or whatever it is;

Speaking of "crap"; what unbelievable right-wing crap you are spewing. Believe it or not, Mr. Flintstone, we live in a SOCIETY, not Bush's wild west. Yes you have property rights, but with that comes the responsibility to use them in a respectful way ,to others. I don't feel superior to those that can't get off their dead a** to remove the junk off of their yards or knock down the dried foxtails, poisen oak, and yellow star thistle etc;, and leave there dead dogs out. and use airplane fuselages as a mail box.  I feel "violated by " those others who use their "property rights" to thumb their nose at the rest of society, in particular, their neighbors.

And Sparks, I agree with you that if there are reasons such as infirmity, poverty etc; we should lend a helping hand. Unfortunately not all of us can have a half mile buffer from the unwashed...

Oh Spock, how I wish I were your neighbor!  I'm usually on my husband's case to get car parts and crap picked up from the front yard, and at least drag them behind the fence. I'd make sure he left a fender right along the property line for your viewing enjoyment.

Then, maybe I'd let me kids stand at the edge of our yard and pee onto yours.  They're always asking to take a leak outside when they don't want to head in.  

I wouldn't mind the peeing...brings needed water and nitrogen. I would draw the line at number 2s though.

There is something enjoyable about peeing outside that stirs the soul to its primitive roots. My dear departed husband would do wonders for my roses after he had a few quarts of Rainer Ale.

yo spook if u were my neighber i would make you my b-itch. Columbia university is for punk azz girly boy's. A real bunch of tea baggers. Try going to tyhe school of hard knoks. Speaking of hard knoks thats is what I would be doing to u if u where my neighber.

Spock is another who obviously has never been to Sand Canyon...but jest in case she's a comin' ta visit, I'd best hack a path through mah "waist-high weeds" so's I kin wash 'n' wax mah junk cars so they look purty!

Sparks, we too looked in BVS, Stallion Springs and Golden Hills. Thank goodness we made the choice we did!

Bad boy...It's not nice to threaten old widows.

It was probably your house I drove by...do you often have police cars parked in front of it?

Spock, I hear ya...   yeah, I'm trying to look at both sides.    I suppose if the neighbor simply sucked at yard work or was physically incapable I wouldn't be upset about them having a messy yard...  I may even help them out.  I am known to have a green thumb.  It would depend on the circumstances.  If I felt the neighbor was simply disrespectful of his/her neighbors... it would irritate me , I might even put a letter in his/her mailbox.. lol     Again, it would depend on the individual situation.

Ragmop  I thought it would be obvious to you that I don't like looking at junk yards when I told you I moved up to Sand Canyon and bought enough property as to where I do not have to look at other people's messy yards.  I'm here because I don't have to look at anyone's yard, thus their mess doesn't affect me.   I'm sorry for the misunderstanding...  Peace.     

BVS isn't as Draconian as you guys make it sound, lol! We've let our lawn go natural & no one has complained. We just didn't have the patience of the previous owner who hand-watered everything!

We clear the property once a year as required, and keep the native weeds down in the front area. That's about it, and our neighbors don't seem to mind. Maybe we just lucked out with a good set of folks who live near by...

lol oochild - you did luck out. I have several family members who live out there, two of them have neighbors from Hades.