vehicle barrier-side entrance garage 6 ft verticle drop-code requirement -Michigan

[birmingplumb]

Neighbors has attached side entrance garage at rear of his house 15 ft off my property line with asphalt driveway on property line ( +/- 2' ) about 6ft above my property (on a Hill with Existing concrete 40 year old retaining wall 6ft high that crumbled,leaned thus failed. He is doing replacement absent permits/engineer I believe. Since his car when exiting his garage , is pointed towards the 6ft retaining wall and my backyard- it dawned on me that his car can come over the wall-drop 6ft on one of my grandchildren if they were below enjoying the yard. This had to be approved by township when built . I have been there 20 years and as a plumber soon realized the code was violated when his driveway was dumping rainwater on my property due to elevated asphalt driveslope/pitching towards my house. I decided to install a french drain between the 2 properties to keep my basement dry and during process he came over and said his wall was failing. I put french drain on hold so equipment could demo / remove his wall as a good neighbor would. Now I realize he is installing a 10 block high wall ( with small cinderblock type 10" high blocks--and he claimed to one of his workers that he does not want to go over 10 blocks high otherwise he needs a engineer. I highly doubt this to be accurate and now that I discovered the imminent danger of his car coming over this here wall I am asking what to do- I was trying to stay neighborly but now I am having second thoughts. I want his driveway to slop towards his house to address the plumbing code issue which states rainwater shall shall not be discharged on neighboor property, as well as the vehicle barier absent from day 1 and the slide possibility of a un-engineered wall --and more. The township missed the rainwater slope of his hard surface drive as well as the absent vehicle barrier and gave him a occupancy permit 40 yrs ago---I am asking if we do got to court can I make the township uphold the codes and make this imminent danger disappear and stop the rainwater discharging towards my house which is lower? I am 72 and I think he is reading house for a sale --why?-he has a kid up north he said and they are up there and considering moving there---and this is the very first time he has spoken to me in 23 years. Motown

[Les]

In Michigan you can make no one do no thing.  AHJ has the only and final say.  They/he/she/they are the only person to make the determination.  Good luck. 

 

[birmingplumb]

3 hours ago, Les said:

In Michigan you can make no one do no thing.  AHJ has the only and final say.  They/he/she/they are the only person to make the determination.  Good luck. 

 

Sorry  not thinking too good what is AHJ?

[Les]

Authority Having Jurisdiction.  ie:  local municipal building official, or planning department or Drain Commissioner. 

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[John Kogel]

It's tricky, because when the authority comes knocking on his door, the neighbor will suspect you ratted on him. Maybe have the authority come out to your place to talk about drainage of your property, act dumb about the neighbor's mess.

If there's trouble with your neighbor, you just assumed he had the necessary permits. You can't imagine doing all that work without permits.

I have found that the best way to deal with the municipal authority is to ask before you act and get him helping you. He will suggest the best way to get the result and become your buddy instead of an adversary.

[birmingplumb]

Thanks for valued input--I agree with everything you said. 

[Jim Baird]

Around here unopposed fill over four block high needs engineering.

[hausdok]

If he demolished the wall and is rebuilding it, I think your current codes may apply. Usually, if you go higher than four feet you have to have the wall permitted, which means an engineer specifies the materials and type. If there is a rule about required drainage, he may be required to install drainage at the bottom and behind that wall as he builds. I don't know about vehicle fall protection.