Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:walking the dog this morning in a neighborhood with sidewalks on only one side of the street. crossed over to avoid another pup, had to walk across the lawn by the road (where there is no sidewalk).
guy comes out to asked us not to walk on his lawn.
in Fairfax county, isn't the strip of land next to the road considered a public median? Tried googling but couldn't find the answer (or didn't use correct key words?).

when we put up our fence, we couldn't fence right up to the road. doesn't every yard has a public easement by the road?

No every yard doesn't have a public right of way. Use these key words for a search: Fairfax county walk in vdot easements
If a property has a trail easement then it's for public use but that means you don't veer off the trail. Roads are VDOT, county, or private. 1st 2 can have right of way sidewalks or even gravel trails along the road in place of sidewalks. Public can use.

For OP my guess is that person got tired of people going more than 5 feet in with dogs etc. And maybe no cleanup on poop. You have to maintain what is on or crosses your property even if it a public right of way, easement , stormwater stuff vdot or county.

thanks, found this site: https://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/publicworks/stormwater/storm-drainage-easements

A public street right-of-way is publicly owned land that contains both the street and a strip of land on either side of the street that holds appurtenant facilities. Facilities may include sidewalks, sewers, storm drains, etc. For further information or to request maintenance in a right-of-way, please contact the Virginia Department of Transportation at 1-800-FOR-ROAD (367-7623), TTY 711.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Look up address in county records. It will show plat.

Can someone provide actual website/link for this? I've searched many times trying to find plats with no luck(?)

https://icare.fairfaxcounty.gov/ffxcare/search/commonsearch.aspx?mode=address

Put in address, after results, there is "map" tab on the left side

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is VA stand your ground state like FL ?

Nope. You don’t want to shoot someone on your property even if they’re about to kill you and/or your family. You have to prove beyond a doubt you couldn’t escape the situation.

It is, i don't want OP to get shoot.

Anonymous wrote:VDOT easement almost everywhere - not that guy’s property

Not true

Anonymous wrote:Look up address in county records. It will show plat.

Can someone provide actual website/link for this? I've searched many times trying to find plats with no luck(?)

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VDOT easement almost everywhere - not that guy’s property

not true. look it up the address in the assesment database. Our property does right up to the vdot road edge....there is no buffer. neighbor has a 15' bufer. go figure.

Just because your property goes to the road doesn’t make my statement false.

That buffer isn't for your dog and you.

It kinda is, definition of public use.

Not if I have to maintain it.

"Have to"? Who/what is requiring you to maintain public land?

VDOT owns about 10-12' of our front yard. No sidewalk, but that first 10-12' belongs to VDOT not to us as homeowner. It is not just an easement.

Now, we also wouldn't bother to confront someone as OP describes, regardless of ownership, if it were in the first few feet.

Anonymous wrote:walking the dog this morning in a neighborhood with sidewalks on only one side of the street. crossed over to avoid another pup, had to walk across the lawn by the road (where there is no sidewalk).
guy comes out to asked us not to walk on his lawn.
in Fairfax county, isn't the strip of land next to the road considered a public median? Tried googling but couldn't find the answer (or didn't use correct key words?).

when we put up our fence, we couldn't fence right up to the road. doesn't every yard has a public easement by the road?

No every yard doesn't have a public right of way. Use these key words for a search: Fairfax county walk in vdot easements
If a property has a trail easement then it's for public use but that means you don't veer off the trail. Roads are VDOT, county, or private. 1st 2 can have right of way sidewalks or even gravel trails along the road in place of sidewalks. Public can use.

For OP my guess is that person got tired of people going more than 5 feet in with dogs etc. And maybe no cleanup on poop. You have to maintain what is on or crosses your property even if it a public right of way, easement , stormwater stuff vdot or county.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VDOT easement almost everywhere - not that guy’s property

not true. look it up the address in the assesment database. Our property does right up to the vdot road edge....there is no buffer. neighbor has a 15' bufer. go figure.

Just because your property goes to the road doesn’t make my statement false.

That buffer isn't for your dog and you.

It kinda is, definition of public use.

Not if I have to maintain it.

I have to maintain the hellstrip. It’s still a public easement.

Give a street name, OP.

Oh right. Have a nice lawn and a bunch of weeds and dead stuff in front.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VDOT easement almost everywhere - not that guy’s property

not true. look it up the address in the assesment database. Our property does right up to the vdot road edge....there is no buffer. neighbor has a 15' bufer. go figure.

Just because your property goes to the road doesn’t make my statement false.

That buffer isn't for your dog and you.

It kinda is, definition of public use.

Not if I have to maintain it.

You don’t have to maintain it. You choose to. It’s not your land.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VDOT easement almost everywhere - not that guy’s property

not true. look it up the address in the assesment database. Our property does right up to the vdot road edge....there is no buffer. neighbor has a 15' bufer. go figure.

Just because your property goes to the road doesn’t make my statement false.

That buffer isn't for your dog and you.

It kinda is, definition of public use.

Not if I have to maintain it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VDOT easement almost everywhere - not that guy’s property

not true. look it up the address in the assesment database. Our property does right up to the vdot road edge....there is no buffer. neighbor has a 15' bufer. go figure.

Just because your property goes to the road doesn’t make my statement false.

That buffer isn't for your dog and you.

It kinda is, definition of public use.

Anonymous wrote:My understanding is that the county owns the first 10 feet.
Our section of the neighborhood has no sidewalks. Heard several reasons why we don’t, but bottom line is money. It would cost too much and would take much fighting with county to enforce it.
Either way, that guy is annoying. People and dogs are constantly walking in the lower part of our yards to avoid cars and other dogs.

In Fairfax?

No, that can't be correct.