Closing an alley?

**PSewick** · June-01-09, 10:08 PM

How does one go about having the alley behind one's house closed off in Detroit? Have you ever done this before? I tried searching the city's website but had trouble finding anything relevant. Are there fees?

My brother's house has no yard and it's on a strangely shaped lot on a block where the alley is very short. A business on the north already built a cinder block wall along the alley wall. If he could take over the alley adjacent to his house, he would have a nice courtyard. [[And homeless people wouldn't poop behind his house anymore.)

**MikeM** · June-01-09, 10:53 PM

Try dumping a truck load of tires or a 23' Sea Ray in the alley. Sand off the registration number before you do.

**gazhekwe** · June-02-09, 07:31 AM

Call DPW City Engineering Division, 513 Coleman A. Young Municipal Center [[48226)
224-3900

NOTE: He has to get his neighbors to agree, he can't do it by himself. It's a petition process.

The division will provide copies of the official cartographic City maps at cost: can furnish street or alley right-of-way information, official City vertical control survey data: and longitude and latitude data for Federal Communications Commission permit applications. This division will also provide information on street and alley closing petitions and processes.

**Detroitnerd** · June-02-09, 09:52 AM

Can't build anything permanent though, right? Easement rights still apply?

**ImHere** · June-02-09, 10:22 AM

Back in the Mid '80's the City stopped using the Alleys in my Mom's neighborhood. The residents on her block and behind her, petitioned the City to allow the home owners to Close off the alley and extend the Back fences. We were told no numerous times. Not sure why as someone else was actually handling the petitions.

Alot of other blocks around us closed off the alleys or put up restricted access gates, but we kept getting told no.

Over the years the houses changed ownership and most of the new residents went ahead and extended the back fences and closed off most of the alley.

I never extended my mom's fence [[Wasn't worth the effort after I had just put it up to the city specs). My mom has gotten cited for not cutting the grass in the alley, so I know the city still patrols, but not sure how the rest of the block got away with putting up the permanent fences.

**ronaldj** · June-02-09, 10:24 AM

Years ago, my father and mother-inlaw had their alley closed but I believe that it was instituted by the City. Don't know what the tax implications were but he had a great vegetable garden behind the garage.

Spouse and I had a house on the east side. Second home off the corner with alley entrance to the garage. When the petition came around, we signed but asked that the alley remain open to our garage. Don't quite recall the outcome. Think the alley remained. Garage got burned down a few years later. C'est la vie.

**rsa.313** · June-02-09, 10:24 AM

correct nerd; easements remain in place so you can build no permanent structure in that area.

the term for this is called "vacating" an alley. i have never gone thru this process myself, but has clients who have. it is a fairly common request.

some things to keep in mind: you have to get written approval from all property owners adjacent to the alley you want to vacate. if one does not agree, then the alley stays open. if it affects other people besides adjacent property owners, you must get their written approval as well [[typically you cannot close one portion of an alley to create one, or two, dead end alleyways). if you do gain approval to close the alleyway you only receive half; the owner across from the alley receives the other half. however, you can always buy that portion from that owner.

i don't necessarily condone this, but i have known people to simply fence alleyways off if they are out of the way [[eg. a small side alleyway). if the neighbors don't mind, i know some people have gotten away with it without the city noticing. [this also depends, of course, on your location in the city and amount of attention your area gets.]

**izzyindetroit** · June-02-09, 11:05 AM

Originally Posted by MikeM

Try dumping a truck load of tires or a 23' Sea Ray in the alley. Sand off the registration number before you do.

LOLZ!! good idea.

**Danny** · June-02-09, 11:49 AM

95% of the alleys in Lincoln Park are definately closed down and neigbors fences have been extended to another neighborhoods backyard.

**PSewick** · June-02-09, 12:52 PM

Thanks all around for the information. The only neighbors on the alley are a car wash, a parking lot next to them, and another parking lot next to the house owned by a body shop that is delinquent on their taxes anyway. I might just be evil and put up the fences if this wasn't in a well-kept and well-known neighborhood.

My dad always used to say, "It's better to ask for permission than to beg for forgiveness." But the guy who is recommending I just put up the fences said, "It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission." I'll try to do it the legal way as long as I'm not on hold more than ten minutes when trying to call the city. [[I guess I better put in that order for fencing now...)

**Detroitnerd** · June-02-09, 12:54 PM

Me, personally, I am very happy with my alley, and would like to keep it. But, then again, it only is open on one side, and the neighbors at the end of it use it as their personal driveway. Some people would complain, but to me it means the alley is [[a) watched and [[b) difficult to use for a robbery, as once you're in there you're essentially boxed in.