Real Estate Corner: Yard laws

Town Meeting Day happened recently, so I heard lots of chatter from folks in the town I reside in, work in, and the others that surround both of those places. I will admit — a bit sheepishly — that I was not well-informed on what was up for vote in my town but I made a vow to prioritize being educated on it for next year. However, I heard from a friend of mine who lives in the town over that they were voting on some sort of zoning amendment regarding regulations around what could be left out and visible in landowners’ yards. 

I have to say, I was a bit surprised by this. In the land of Live Free or Die, I kind of just always figured you could keep whatever you wanted in your yard, within reason, of course. I suppose the whole “within reason” part is why ordinances and amendments and this type of voting exists in the first place: to provide a guideline for such, rather than allow for it to be up to interpretation. Still, I am curious to know if that amendment passed or not. I see both sides of the argument, but it certainly made me stop and think about what kinds of specific ordinances exist in my town around this subject and others.