City Cracks Down On 9-Year-Old For Opening Free Library In His Front Yard

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**daedalus**

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/06/23/3451818/9yo-boy-little-library/#triple-feature

A nine-year-old boy in eastern Kansas who decided to open his own little front-yard library and share books with his neighbors has been shut down for violating a city zoning ordinance.
Spencer Collins lives in Leawood, Kansas, a suburb of Kansas City. Like many precocious children, he loves reading. “It’s kinda like a whole ‘nother world, and I like that,” he told KMBC.
Last month, Collins had an idea for how to share his passion for literature: a little free library. The Little Free Library Movement began in 2009 when Todd Bol of western Wisconsin built a mailbox-like structure that held books and placed it in his front yard with a sign to “take a book, return a book.” Little free libraries have since popped up around the world.
On May 11, Mother’s Day, Collins put out his own little free library, complete with children’s classics like Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time and Roald Dahl’s The BFG.
But a month later, his parents received a letter from officials saying the library violated the city’s zoning ordinance and needed to be removed or they would be fined. The city prohibits people from having structures on their property that are detached from the physical house.
City officials justified the move because they said they “need to treat everybody the same,” says Richard Coleman, noting they can’t just ignore the two complaints they’d received because “we like the little libraries.”
Collins is now rallying support on his Facebook page and studying municipal ordinances in an effort to get the city council to amend its code.

And the offending structure.

Since it's the 'burbs, I imagine that we're talking about the quality of community here where the neighbors all race to get up five minutes before the other so they can get outside to measure each others grass to rat them out to the HMA for being a day behind on the mowing. I'm wondering if anyone had a problem with the bench shown adjacent to the bookcase.

Were I them, this'd probably make me consider no longer trying to help the community by sharing good things, and instead find out what the zoning regulations are on a very tall privacy fence painted the most obnoxious color allowable on the outside..

**SilverMK2**

It would be interesting to see how they consider dog houses, childrens swing sets, etc... all of those are "structures" not attached to the house.

That aside I would suggest that the "free library" is more a piece of furniture than a structure.

**Frazzled**

"Now you've learned son, never try."
-Homer Simpson.

**Kilkrazy**

What about mail boxes?

**Iron_Captain**

This is so silly it is laughable.
Maybe he should place his free library in a large mail box?

**Frazzled**

I'd get rid of my mail box if I could.

**Hordini**

It's hard to imagine people who are such jackasses that they'd actually call to file a complaint about something like that.

But hey, I've never lived in the suburbs, and God willing, I never will.

**whembly**

Hordini wrote:
It's hard to imagine people who are such jackasses that they'd actually call to file a complaint about something like that.

But hey, I've never lived in the suburbs, and God willing, I never will.

Happens all the time to kid's lemonade stands...

**Medium of Death**

I'm sure the City could just ignore this particular case at it wouldn't be expedient to enforce and would hardly set a precedent for anything negative.

There are a number designs on the LFL site that inspiration could be taken from. All of the seem to use a single post mailbox set up or sit separately upon a surface when inside a building.

I'm interested in what they are defining this as that makes it unsuitable for a residential area.

**SilverMK2**

whembly wrote:
Hordini wrote:
It's hard to imagine people who are such jackasses that they'd actually call to file a complaint about something like that.

But hey, I've never lived in the suburbs, and God willing, I never will.

Happens all the time to kid's lemonade stands...

I thought America was all about bootstraps, freedom and capitalism?

Unless that isn't lemonade they are selling...

**whembly**

SilverMK2 wrote:
whembly wrote:
Hordini wrote:
It's hard to imagine people who are such jackasses that they'd actually call to file a complaint about something like that.

But hey, I've never lived in the suburbs, and God willing, I never will.

Happens all the time to kid's lemonade stands...

I thought America was all about bootstraps, freedom and capitalism?

Well of course! But, you'd also have to pay corrupt politicians for a license to even have a business.

Unless that isn't lemonade they are selling...

Heh.

**daedalus**

SilverMK2 wrote:
whembly wrote:
Hordini wrote:
It's hard to imagine people who are such jackasses that they'd actually call to file a complaint about something like that.

But hey, I've never lived in the suburbs, and God willing, I never will.

Happens all the time to kid's lemonade stands...

I thought America was all about bootstraps, freedom and capitalism?

It's also appears to be about following all the rules at all times.

**Kilkrazy**

Frazzled wrote:
I'd get rid of my mail box if I could.

Apparently if you move to Leawood, Kansas you not only will be able to get rid of it you will be required by law!

**Orlanth**

SilverMK2 wrote:
It would be interesting to see how they consider dog houses, childrens swing sets, etc... all of those are "structures" not attached to the house.

That aside I would suggest that the "free library" is more a piece of furniture than a structure.

It's a fully enclosed structure, swings and dog houses are not.

I can see where the authorities are coming from, if they don't raise objection to the little library they create a legal precedent that a smartalek can use to say, 'you allowed the little library so I can build what I want on my land, if you dont allow me too its a clear case of discrimination, not only will I get what I want eventually but I can sue you for the discrimination.'

**d-usa**

SilverMK2 wrote:
It would be interesting to see how they consider dog houses, childrens swing sets, etc... all of those are "structures" not attached to the house.

That aside I would suggest that the "free library" is more a piece of furniture than a structure.

When I went to my city office to see if I need a permit for an outdoor oven I was given the (non)helpful answer of "Does it have a roof? If it has a roof it's a building that needs a permit".

Which seems like it would cover dog houses that have a "roof" and swing sets that have a "roof".

But expecting them to know their own rules might have been my first mistake

**hotsauceman1**

that looks no different from the elabortate mailboxes we have down here. Like the bear carved from a chainsaw and the mailbox is naughty bits

**Easy E**

This is Kansas. They don't want people reading! That's a waste of time when you should be working the fields!

**Orlanth**

d-usa wrote:
SilverMK2 wrote:
It would be interesting to see how they consider dog houses, childrens swing sets, etc... all of those are "structures" not attached to the house.

That aside I would suggest that the "free library" is more a piece of furniture than a structure.

When I went to my city office to see if I need a permit for an outdoor oven I was given the (non)helpful answer of "Does it have a roof? If it has a roof it's a building that needs a permit".

Which seems like it would cover dog houses that have a "roof" and swing sets that have a "roof".

But expecting them to know their own rules might have been my first mistake

This does not make sense as there are plenty of dog houses, they have roofs and don't AFAIK require permits. Sheds probably do, I know they do in the UK, but a permit for a shed it just a rubber stamp in 99% of circumstances.
Really the solution for the 'little library' is to give a heads up they will send an official around at say 3pm, if the library isn't there no problems. It makes no difference if it is back at 3.05pm so long as its mobile, then its furniture and people can put furniture out if they want to. Another option is to move the 'little library' around the garden frequently enough that it is classifiable as outdoor furniture and not a structure.

The city authorities have to support the law, so the 'little library' needs a loophole which is safe for the city and doesn't create a legal precedent that will bite local citizens in the arse later.

**Desubot**

hotsauceman1 wrote:
the mailbox is naughty bits

Wait what?

Well i feel bad for the kid. hope he learned a valuable lesson or starts reading all the zoning rules and becomes a heck of a lawyer.

**hotsauceman1**

Desubot wrote:
hotsauceman1 wrote:
the mailbox is naughty bits

Wait what?

the bear is upright an the mailbox is in the crotch.

**Easy E**

Or they could build a Little Library as a shelf sticking out of the side of their garage, possibly as part of a garage side door.

I actually wanted to build one of these in my town, so this is a nice cautionary tale for me.

**agnosto**

What makes this even more sad is that someone would have had to call code enforcement on the kid to create this situation.

**Easy E**

agnosto wrote:
What makes this even more sad is that someone would have had to call code enforcement on the kid to create this situation.

That's the least surprising part.

Haters gonna hate.

**hotsauceman1**

Have you ever had neighbors or been part of a home owners association? they can control the kind of grass or plants you display. You bet someone complained about this

**MrDwhitey**

HOA, Freedom at its finest!

**xraytango**

HOA's have always struck me as the sort of things that stuck-up, uptight, overbearing, busybody, namby-pamby, didn't-get-enough-hugs-as-a-child, upper middle class, shorts-with-dark-socks-and-sandals wearing, twichy white folks would come up with.

I mean it's one thing to want a tidy neighborhood, it's quite another to be anal retentive and rain on someone else's parade, especially if it is something for the betterment of the community.

FYI I identify as white.

**d-usa**

My only complaint about HOAs is when people bitch and moan about having to follow them. Crap like "evil HOA won't let Veteran put up a flag pole!" stories.

You know there is an HOA before you even buy the house. You can read all the rules before you even buy the house. You sign a document that you read all the rules and agree to them when you buy the house.

If you don't like it don't buy the fething house!

**MrDwhitey**

Oh, that's certainly true. I just dislike that they exist.

**hotsauceman1**

d-usa wrote:
My only complaint about HOAs is when people bitch and moan about having to follow them. Crap like "evil HOA won't let Veteran put up a flag pole!" stories.

You know there is an HOA before you even buy the house. You can read all the rules before you even buy the house. You sign a document that you read all the rules and agree to them when you buy the house.

If you don't like it don't buy the fething house!

I dont, I dislike people telling me what I can and cannot do with stuff I own. And what if theirs is the only place you can afford a house? Or they extablish one when you are there? In my experiance they are there to make my life hell. Our recent HOA said that we cannot have charcoal BBQ and must have Propane BBQs for "Reasons" we cant park backwards, we can paint our door any color other then the green color. When we wanted new windows we had to go threw them to get approved frames.

**Ensis Ferrae**

Orlanth wrote:

This does not make sense as there are plenty of dog houses, they have roofs and don't AFAIK require permits. Sheds probably do, I know they do in the UK, but a permit for a shed it just a rubber stamp in 99% of circumstances.
Really the solution for the 'little library' is to give a heads up they will send an official around at say 3pm, if the library isn't there no problems. It makes no difference if it is back at 3.05pm so long as its mobile, then its furniture and people can put furniture out if they want to. Another option is to move the 'little library' around the garden frequently enough that it is classifiable as outdoor furniture and not a structure.

The city authorities have to support the law, so the 'little library' needs a loophole which is safe for the city and doesn't create a legal precedent that will bite local citizens in the arse later.

Most places in the US, a permit is only required if the structure is over a certain size. So for instance, a dog house wouldn't, but a 10'x10' shed would... Which is also kind of ironic, since when I lived in TN, I found out that if I built a 9'6" x 9'6" shed, I didn't need a permit, but once it reached 10' it did. They do also take account of height, so presumably, if you made a dog house that was as big at the base as a usual dog house (say 3x4 or so), but was 30 feet tall, then you'd need a permit

Also, if I were the kids' parents, I wouldn't remove the "library" what I'd do is remove much of the door so that it's more open, remove the library sign, put a planter box on top of it in order to create a planter box that also happens to hold books that people can borrow