San Francisco Reverses Course, Allows Couple To Park In Their Own Driveway

A San Francisco couple can park in their driveway again after officials reversed course on their decision to uphold a decades-old law. Judy and Ed Crain were shocked when they received a $1,500 ticket from the City's planning department for parking their car in their own driveway.

While the couple had been parking in the driveway for the last 36 years, city officials told them it is illegal to park in the front of a house unless it has a garage or is covered. The Planning Department informed the couple they could dispute the ticket and be grandfathered in if they provided photographic evidence that vehicles had previously been parked in the driveway.

The couple provided two photos, one from the 1980s and a grainy photo from 1938, which showed what appeared to be a horse and buggy parked in the driveway.

Officials rejected the first photo, saying it was not old enough. They said that the second photo was too blurry to make a determination and told the couple they had to cease parking in the driveway. The Planning Board agreed to drop the fine if they complied with the order.

On Monday (July 11), city officials had a change of heart and said that the 1938 photograph was enough evidence to grandfather the Crains in. Now, the couple can park in their own driveway again without having to worry about getting a hefty fine.