Photo: TikTok/@neighborhooddisputes
The county forced her to cut her fence down so she found a loophole and made her neighbors pay.
By NyRee Ausler — Written on Apr 14, 2023
People renting property dream of having a home of their own, free from the rules that landlords place on them, and able to live life on their own terms. But what they might not know is that over a quarter of homeowners live in communities that have homeowner associations (HOAs) and those who don’t are still ruled by city and county ordinances about what they can and cannot do on their property.
A dispute between Georgia neighbors recently came to a head, prompting one woman to take "petty" action to get revenge on a neighbor who had cost her time and money. A video was shared on a TikTok account called "@neighborhooddisputes" detailing what led to the beef between residents.
As payback for her complaining neighbor, the woman paints her fence bright colors.
The dispute started when a woman named Donna erected a 6-foot fence between hers and her neighbor’s home. According to her, they had been embroiled in a longstanding feud and she thought some semblance of privacy would serve both parties well.
Donna said she reached out to the county to confirm that she could build the fence before starting construction. But to her surprise, once it was completed, her neighbors lodged complaints against her causing the county to reverse their earlier decision and tell her that a portion of the fence along the front yard needed to be lowered to 4 feet high.
Understandably upset, the woman complied with the ruling but decided to exact revenge for the inconvenience. Donna found another county rule that allowed her to paint the fence whatever color she desired and since it was on her property, she painted her side a pleasant blue to match her home and painted her neighbor’s side of the fence several bright colors.
Since the woman made the adjustment, neighbors are beside themselves with anger, including a man named Dick Hopkins. He said, “I don’t know what her problem is. But she certainly doesn’t have any respect for her other neighbors."
But Donna believes the request that she cut her fence down was an attempt at controlling what she did on her own property and refuses to bow to the pressure from other residents. She confirmed that she and the neighbor on the bright side of the fence have been in conflict, causing her to put a barrier between them.
She told reporters at WSBTV Channel 2 that she took issue with the misinformation provided, but her real problem seemed to revolve around the ongoing dispute with her neighbor. Clearly, she used a loophole to make them pay for her troubles. Donna told the news, “That paint is a 20-year warranty paint, so in 15 years if it needs to be painted, it will be painted the same color.”
Reporters checked with the county, and they confirmed that there are no regulations with regard to paint color, so the defiant woman has every right to color her fence as she chooses. She’s not backing down and with the neighbors seething with anger over the eyesore, we can only hope this doesn’t turn into the Hatfields and McCoys.
NyRee Ausler is a writer from Seattle, Washington, and author of seven books. She covers lifestyle and entertainment and news, as well as navigating the workplace and social issues.