Indentures

 

There are different avenues through which complaints and violations are addressed through the HOA, each situation being handled on a case-by-case basis. Nick Epley is our current architectural and indenture compliance volunteer and will decide on a method of addressing an issue.   As in the past, he may choose to communicate with a resident regarding a complaint or violation using letters, phone calls, face-to-face discussions or filing complaints through county agencies. Communications between the HOA and Muirfield residents regarding complaint and violation resolutions are confidential between the HOA and the individual neighbor.

Concerning any loose pet issue, specifically: The HOA can send a letter or speak with a neighbor concerning a loose pet.  However,  if it is a safety concern of an aggressive dog chasing your children, there is no evidence for us to investigate after the fact.  Remember, we will need your written or emailed complaint to process and resolve issues.  Although the HOA would like to be alerted to issues concerning crimes or danger to people and property, so we can keep the neighborhood on alert, this specific issue falls under the jurisdiction of the St. Charles Animal Control at 636-949-7387 or St. Charles County Police Non-Emergency Department at 636-949-0809.

 

 

 

Neighborhood Complaints
The Neighborhood Preservation Division of St. Charles county (a.k.a.- code enforcement) will handle complaints pertaining to our subdivision. If you would like to file a complaint, you may contact the office by calling 636.949.7346 or you can copy the link below and submit your complaint on this form by e-mail. Complainant name and phone number are requested in order to obtain more information, if necessary, but are not required. The Muirfield Board of Trustees will also make a complaint on your behalf if it meets the criteria below. Remember, a little kindness will go a long way. Some of the complaints can be handled with a neighborly touch. Every complaint filed with the division is investigated by an inspector to verify regulations adopted by the County Council are met.

 

Most common property maintenance code violations include rubbish, weeds & tall grass, derelict and/or unlicensed vehicles, general building disrepair, and zoning violations. The Neighborhood Preservation Division is committed to preserving the quality of our neighborhoods and provides information on these common violations below.

RUBBISH
County Ordinances require items considered rubbish, garbage, or sewage to be removed from the interior and/or exterior of a property, including natural watercourses and disposed of in a clean and sanitary manner.
Outdoor storage on residentially zoned lots is restricted in accordance with Section 302.10 (see Property Maintenance Code Amendments for details).
Trash cans are prohibited from being stored in the front yard or on a front porch or landing of any building and require tight fitting lids.

WEEDS & TALL GRASS
All weeds, grasses, or plants shall not exceed ten (10) inches in height for all developed premises or exterior property. Weeds are defined as all grasses, annual plants and vegetation, other than trees or shrubs provided; however, this term does not include cultivated flowers and gardens. All noxious weeds shall be prohibited.

DERELICT & UNLICENSED VEHICLES
County Ordinances require motor vehicles to have proper current license plates and not be in a state of disassembly or disrepair or in the process of being stripped or dismantled.
Except: Unlicensed and/or unregistered motor vehicles in residential subdivisions parked in an enclosed garage or fully operational vehicles not in a state of disassembly or disrepair kept under a carport with a form fitting car cover that covers the entire body of the vehicle.

GENERAL BUILDING DISREPAIR
County Ordinances require all structures, including related plumbing, electrical, and mechanical equipment, fixtures and/or components be maintained to meet minimum code standards identified in the 2009 International Property Maintenance Code.
These include but are not limited to:
Peeling, chipping, or fading paint,
Bare wood or other exterior surfaces requiring paint,
Deteriorated or broken guttering and/or downspouts,
Deteriorating roofing or flashing,
Broken or missing windows and/or screens,
Leaking and/or deteriorated plumbing, electrical, and/or mechanical equipment and/or materials,
Deteriorated and/or broken driveways and/or sidewalks,
Missing address numbers,
Broken, missing, and/or deteriorated fencing,
Deteriorating and/or failing retaining walls.

ZONING (sample of most common zoning violations)
Commercial vehicles parked in residential or agricultural districts.
Any commercial vehicle shall be parked and/or stored in a private garage or completely covered by a carport, unless it is a vehicle temporarily parked while providing a service or delivery to a residential dwelling. Licensed as a commercial vehicle at twelve thousand (12,000) pounds or less, even if it conveys a commercial message or has materials stored on the vehicle's exterior such as ladder, tools, etc., but not if it exceeds twenty-four (24) feet in length.
No buses shall be parked on a lot occupied by a residential unit, except as permitted in Section 405.420(C)(3) OSCCMo.
Licensed vanpool vans or other motor vehicles seating not more than fifteen (15) passengers are allowed in residentially zoned areas so long as no commercial message is conveyed on the vehicle and all other provisions of this Section are met.
The owner of a commercial vehicle parked on a lot or parcel within a residential or agricultural district in accordance with the provisions of this Section shall also be the owner or the renter of such lot or parcel or that owner or renter's employer.
Commercial vehicles shall not be parked on a public street except when temporarily parked while providing a service or delivery to a residential dwelling.
Trailers parked in the front yard, driveway, or street of a residential district.
In residential districts and recorded subdivisions in agricultural districts recreational equipment or trailers shall be parked within a structure or in the side or rear yard, on a paved or graveled all-weather surface, a minimum of seven (7) feet from all property boundaries.
Operating home occupation business without approval.
A home occupation permit is required to obtain a business license. A home occupation is an occupation or profession carried on by one or more members of the household residing on the premises, which is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling unit for residential purposes.

 

Neighborhood Preservation contact information: St. Charles County Government
Neighborhood Preservation
201 N. Second St., Suite 414
St. Charles, MO 63301
636.949.7346
Email:  npd@sccmo.org
 

 

These indentures are a reasonable set of rules/guidelines that fellow Muirfielders follow in terms of maintaining their homes and surrounding properties. We want Muirfield to continue to be a special place to come home to, rather than have our fine and upstanding residents endure. . . uhh. . . novel and unconventional architecture as shown the below photo - which under normal circumstances, would, (to borrow a line from the 2003 movie Freaky Friday)  "...get us a 72-hour lockdown in a psych ward and a Thorazine drip!" 

 

 

 

Note:  St. Charles County Building Permits and Muirfield Board of Trustees Approvals for most forms of construction to a Muirfield home are necessary.

 

Link to St. Charles County Building Permits: 

 

 

 

 

Below is an excerpt from the July 19th 2009 Muirfield Messenger Newsletter on "Complaints in General" that may be relevant to some residents:

 

 

Complaints in General

 

We have received quite a number of legitimate complaints from residents. And interestingly, they almost always take the same form, be it written or oral:

 

 

i) They have lived in Muirfield x number of years and have rarely, or if ever complained.

 

ii) They have a complaint with a neighbor, but they don't want the confrontation with said neighbor and/or the possible fallout of coming off as a complainer or creating "bad blood" between them.

 

iii) They want the Board of Trustees to handle the situation, but they don't want to be called out by name in the complaint for the reasons sited in item 2 above.

 

All quite logical and reasonable.

 

 

Let me state what our policy is on complaints. Your complaint will be held in confidence .* The Board of Trustees will investigate the complaint, and if it is deemed legitimate, we will handle it until it is resolved. The only exception to this confidence rule, is if the complaint is an ephemeral situation/event, such as an aggressive dog chasing your children. As there is no evidence for us to investigate after the fact, we need your written complaint to process and resolve it. (BTW, if there is ever an incident with an aggressive dog or dog bite, contact St Charles Animal Control immediately at 636-949-7387.)

 

Currently, the Board of Trustees is going through the list of complaints. Some have already been resolved, others are in process or about to commence, and letters will be sent out to those affected homeowners. Beyond the usual complaints of a neighbor who house is in need of TLC, we have received a number of complaints on two main areas that effect the whole subdivision:

 

1) The parking of industrial trailers and boats on the street, the driveway, and the backyard. These trailers and boats must be kept in the garage. Further, there are St Charles County laws on the prohibiting of parking commercial vehicles and trailers on the street. Homeowners in violation of this will receive a letter from the Board of Trustees. Violations thereafter will be cited and fined.

 

2) Basketball hoops in disrepair and/or portable basketball units pushed out into the street or over the curb. Twenty some basketball hoops have torn nets, no nets, bent rims, broken or discolored backboards, rusty, discolored or broken structures, and one unit is now just a pole - teeming with rust; And the portable units have the additional problem of being placed in inappropriate areas and/or held in place with something akin to bags of dirt, sand or cement. The above listed units are towering 8-9 ft structures that reflect poorly on the subdivision and at the same time are relatively easy to resolve. To those affected units, please move the portable units off and away from the street and on to your property in a location consistent with a permanent structure and bring all the basketball hoops "up to code" by meeting the manufacture's recommended specifications, i.e.; the units are to be in sound working order and good appearance. As there are so many of these problem basketball hoops, I would urge those owners to take care of this right away, rather than wait for a letter from the Board of Trustees.

 

 

(*) If you have a complaint or a suggestion for improvement, contact the Muirfield Board of Trustees at