Many people choose to utilize canopies and carports as accessible and easy-to-install options for storage. After all, we may have more vehicles or equipment than our existing garages can handle. When this is the case, all you have to do is set up a carport or canopy purchased from a portable shelter store and you are set up. These can help you protect your valuable investments from destructive weather and generally keep them in better shape than if they were left out.
In some areas, this process has been difficult for homeowners, primarily due to zoning restrictions imposed by local governments. According to an article from the Whittier Daily News, this is precisely what has been occurring in Pico Rivera, CA:
“A large number of canopy and tarp carports have sprung up in Pico Rivera in recent years, apparently the result of the city’s strict rules restricting carports…many of the tentlike structures are used as porte-cocheres, a kind of porch roof over a driveway at the entry to a house. However, like carports, which are illegal unless they’re on the rear third of a lot, the canopy and tarp porte-cocheres also are illegal.”
Luckily, it seems as if this list of restrictions might change soon, the article says. Most residents are using these portable shelters for convenience purposes – not just as storage areas, but to protect themselves from bad weather as they unload vehicles. The reasoning behind the laws extends to the aesthetic elements of canopies and carports, giving the town officials pause:
“Several commission members commented in favor of the porte-cocheres if they were aesthetically pleasing. Commissioner Ruben Garcia said that the porte-cocheres should be allowed for the elderly, people with physical disabilities, and persons with a medical need for them.”
The earliest any changes would occur would be early next year.