What is the state laws on shooting on your own place? (16acers in Williamsom county)

Could not find anything online.

In most countys it cool as long as you are out of city limits if in city limits then a no go most of the time but if in county call the sheriffs department and check for sure but you should be ok

Oh Iam in the county, the problem is i got some azzhole neighbors that keep calling SO on me and my brother every time we shoot, when the SO dose come out he is cool with us shooting. And it the same Deputy that keeps comeing out

well if SO says its cool then well the AHole calling can move to the city for all we care if he no likey

Bet the neighbors would be pissed if the deputy started shooting with you guys.

oh ya just be safe and know where the bullets are going have a backstop

Quoted: Bet the neighbors would be pissed if the deputy started shooting with you guys.

funny you say that we jokingly we told him to com shoot with us he said "he would if he could" he also state that he live near by us and wish he had land to shoot on to

Quoted: oh ya just be safe and know where the bullets are going have a backstop

We have a back stop....35' long 10' high 20' thick with black clay

I suggest giving the SO a call when y'all are headed out to go shooting. It might save them a trip.

Okay this is my first post :)

I am Libertyhillguy's bro and property owner.   Let me go get a nice cool beer and change and I will write a full report.  This person has called SO 3 times on us.  And to top it off they are trying to report our shooting burm (sp?) as a structure inside a 100 year flood plain.

BPF

Okay beer in hand, Beast light, diet beer to save money on :)

About 3 months ago my bro and his friend was shooting at our "range".  Shooting the AK into the dirt just like he described.  Then SO stopped by to let him know that someone is complaining about his shooting.  Since he was not doing anything wrong he left (laughing also).

Fast forward to this last weekend.......

My bro (man he shoots a ton) was again having fun with the AK Saturday late afternoon.  Then at 11pm I get a nice visit from SO looking into a call about our property smelling like a meth-house????  He right away knew that we don't cook (must be I have all my teeth)  I let him know he was more than happy to check things out since I have nothing here to hide.....

Sunday morning we have a nice get together and shoot AR, AK, 45ACP, 9mm, 410, 12 for about 3 hours.  At the start (about 9am) we joke about last night and wonder when SO will show.  About 1/2 hour we get a visit (same SO from a few months ago, laughing and saying "I knew it was you guys")  He then said that whoever it was needs to move back to Austin.  He also said that they were stating that our bullets were flying over their heads.  Keep in mind that our backwall is 90 deg off from them and the whole Home Owner group there that is trying to stop us.

Now fast forward to today....

I get home with a citation notice that my burm is in the 100 year flood plain and it is a building now (it has been there for about 7 years).

I have talked to others nearby and they said that this group about 2 years ago tried to get wilco to ban all shooting in Western Wilco......hahahahhahahahahah

So here is a few ideas:

1.  Bro is a friend of a wilco judge....have a chat with her.
2.  Talk to the people that gave me this nice citation notice to inform them just what a building is....
3.  Shoot more and more often, and have more friends shoot here also :)

BPF

Edit here is the citation notice:

who issued the citation for your burm?  Start making some phone calls there and find out exactly what ordinance or law they claim you are breaking.  At least then you would have idea about how much BS the citation is.

ETA: got a scanner?  Would love to see what a parking ticket for a pile of dirt looks like.

Hey buuudddy. I had this happen when I was in College Station. He came three times. The SO basically told us to be safe and there were no worries.  We never saw him again.

I just so happen to like to shoot....alot. And seems like i might know Libertyhillguy. Ph and I bet I could find a few ,10 or 20 people to come out and oh i dont know. have a small rifle match?

there bitching about a burm:) lol dig into the ground:) like a 15 deg angle out about 50 to 75 yards.

parking ticket for dirt pile added :)


I will add more pics soon :)  and an update after I call wilco in the morning.

Some more info:

Looks like your neighbor has a feed/water tower on his property...why not call it in as a violation and ask to see proof of the 100 year flood plane ordnance.

Also, the citations says you just have to stop construction...doesn't mean you have to stop using it...

Quoted: Looks like your neighbor has a feed/water tower on his property...why not call it in as a violation and ask to see proof of the 100 year flood plane ordnance.

hmmm not a bad idea bro and I may have to look into that.  I bet they do.  What makes it really funny is the other neighbor (which is down range and is totally cool with us) have a full barn in the flood plain.  I have a feeling someone is trying to stop me from shooting.....maybe we should just move the wall close to the property line out of the 100 year flood plain.....right next to them....and then have a gun party!!!

BPF

sounds like one of those crazy gun hatin neighbors like ive got.

Quoted: Hey buuudddy. I had this happen when I was in College Station. He came three times. The SO basically told us to be safe and there were no worries.  We never saw him again. I just so happen to like to shoot....alot. And seems like i might know Libertyhillguy. Ph and I bet I could find a few ,10 or 20 people to come out and oh i dont know. have a small rifle match?

yes you do know me

link to Williamson County Flood Damage Prevention Ordinance

look at "DEFINITIONS" of "STRUCTURE"

"STRUCTURE – means, for floodplain management purposes, a walled and roofed building, including a gas or liquid
storage tank, that is principally above ground, as well as a manufactured home.
"

looks like we not doing anything wrong

no definition on "building" though

I've never even seen the sheriff on my county road.

You need to have a home town forum shoot.

There is a ton of updates......I need to run to the county seat to get info :)

I will post with the info when I get back.

BPF

Quoted: You need to have a home town forum shoot.

I'll be happy to attend with SMG ad 50bmg.

tag for updates, asshole neighbors

I can provide tannerite.

Quoted: I can provide tannerite.

Any updates?

I was there the Sunday morning that the deputy showed up laughing and shrugging his shoulders. It was awesome! We were giving that dirt some serious hell when he pulled up. I about half thought that he was going to jump the fence and squeeze off a few rounds himself.

I can't believe those douchebag neighbors are claiming that bullets are whizzing past them. Geez-friggin-Louise! That's really weird how the laws of physics seem to suspend at your property line to allow for that ricochet.

Quoted: Any updates?

Yeah, let me eat dinner and such, then I will post updates....but just a teaser...

I did pickup an AK for myself (need something more to have fun with) and in a few weeks we may have some Class 3 weapons demo.  I think they will enjoy that :)

BPF

Okay another Beast Light (cheap diet beer) in hand and writing the update.

I called Wilco this morning and had a chat with the Health Department about this 100 year flood plain issue and my levee (that is what it is covered).  They stated that there was a complaint reported on my levee this week so they sent an inspector out.  I asked them who reported it since I would expect that complaints to Wilco would be public report.  He stated that this was not public record, so I need to start looking into that fact.

I now have to pay a $75 fee for a permit, but in the mean time I can not do any more construction on it???  I then have to get a engineer to approve plans for this levee then submit it to Wilco.  For now they said they don’t care about shooting as that is a issue (if any) for SO.

So here is a few steps my Bro and I plan to do:

1. Pay the permit.
2. I support about 300 Professional Engineers (PE’s) as I am in the IT field.  So looks like finding a PE should be kinda easy.  In addition my Bro has a friend and shoots a ton and his g-friend is a Civil PE and said she would sign off and a good design.
3. We plan to get approval for the current setup and for our future 3x growth of our range with the clean dirt we plan to have in the next few months.  I have a feeling that the neighbors will enjoy that 
4. I have gone to Wilco records and they are sending all 911 calls to my address in the last 30 days (that is all they keep) so that I can have a record for future harassment warning I will send to them.
5. Since today is my B-day I went to The Gun Store in Cedar Park (btw the best darn shop around!) and picked up a AK-47.   Now I have to put a few rounds in it this weekend to make sure that it works okay.  You know those AK’s need regular feeding 
6. In the near future my bro and I have some nice friends that have a few Class 3 firearms and plan to come out for some fun and demo shooting.  
7. The neighbor btw does not even live next door, that is just extra land.  They live about 7 miles away in town (Liberty Hill).
8. And last but least, I plan to shoot every Saturday and Sunday (since they are normally only there on the weekends) for the next few weeks to make sure they know that I am still here alive and kickin’.

BPF

Quoted: Okay another Beast Light (cheap diet beer) in hand and writing the update. I called Wilco this morning and had a chat with the Health Department about this 100 year flood plain issue and my levee (that is what it is covered).  They stated that there was a complaint reported on my levee this week so they sent an inspector out.  I asked them who reported it since I would expect that complaints to Wilco would be public report.  He stated that this was not public record, so I need to start looking into that fact. I now have to pay a $75 fee for a permit, but in the mean time I can not do any more construction on it???  I then have to get a engineer to approve plans for this levee then submit it to Wilco.  For now they said they don’t care about shooting as that is a issue (if any) for SO. So here is a few steps my Bro and I plan to do: 1. Pay the permit. 2. I support about 300 Professional Engineers (PE’s) as I am in the IT field.  So looks like finding a PE should be kinda easy.  In addition my Bro has a friend and shoots a ton and his g-friend is a Civil PE and said she would sign off and a good design. 3. We plan to get approval for the current setup and for our future 3x growth of our range with the clean dirt we plan to have in the next few months.  I have a feeling that the neighbors will enjoy that  4. I have gone to Wilco records and they are sending all 911 calls to my address in the last 30 days (that is all they keep) so that I can have a record for future harassment warning I will send to them. 5. Since today is my B-day I went to The Gun Store in Cedar Park (btw the best darn shop around!) and picked up a AK-47.   Now I have to put a few rounds in it this weekend to make sure that it works okay.  You know those AK’s need regular feeding  6. In the near future my bro and I have some nice friends that have a few Class 3 firearms and plan to come out for some fun and demo shooting.   7. The neighbor btw does not even live next door, that is just extra land.  They live about 7 miles away in town (Liberty Hill). 8. And last but least, I plan to shoot every Saturday and Sunday (since they are normally only there on the weekends) for the next few weeks to make sure they know that I am still here alive and kickin’. BPF

         

Quoted: ... I get home with a citation notice that my burm is in the 100 year flood plain and it is a building now (it has been there for about 7 years). ...

Here is something...  Were the regulations they talk about on that citation in effect 7 years ago when you built your berm?  You may be grandfathered if they didn't.

Quoted: Quoted: ... I get home with a citation notice that my burm is in the 100 year flood plain and it is a building now (it has been there for about 7 years). ... Here is something...  Were the regulations they talk about on that citation in effect 7 years ago when you built your berm?  You may be grandfathered if they didn't.

I asked....it was in effect since 1980.  The good thing is the Health Department guy is cool, he knows that this is a ploy to stop us from shooting, however since there was a complaint he has to act.  With that statement I think I have to get the complaint info due to forced action from it....

BPF

Quoted: I can provide tannerite.

I hear you are my bro's friend.  I think Class 3 fireams and Tannerite would be a very nice combo-pack :)

BPF

I'm there, B! I talked my wife, she wants to come out and shoot sometime. Tomorrow isn't looking too likely, though. ASAP.

I would definitely save up the 911 reports and hit them up for harassment. Did I mention that I think that they are douchebags?

I want to play!
I can bring some C3 goodies and a black powder mortar, oh and some fertilizer!

Quoted: I want to play! I can bring some C3 goodies and a black powder mortar, oh and some fertilizer!

Any lawyers out there who have ever tried a malicious prosecution lawsuit?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: ... I get home with a citation notice that my burm is in the 100 year flood plain and it is a building now (it has been there for about 7 years). ... Here is something...  Were the regulations they talk about on that citation in effect 7 years ago when you built your berm?  You may be grandfathered if they didn't. I asked....it was in effect since 1980.  The good thing is the Health Department guy is cool, he knows that this is a ploy to stop us from shooting, however since there was a complaint he has to act.  With that statement I think I have to get the complaint info due to forced action from it.... BPF

Dang...  well, I tried.  Anyway, I'm not too far away from your neck of the woods, down here in the Pflugerville area.  If you need some help putting some lead downrange to annoy the a-hole neighbors let me know.  They are probably liberal dumbasses from California or something.

Quoted: You need to have a home town forum shoot.

Yep, let's "train them" as SCTexas says.   Your neighbors should have an arfcom shoot happen next to them.  I will try my best to be there.

Quoted: Any lawyers out there who have ever tried a malicious prosecution lawsuit?

Not a lawyer, but the next thing they will try to hit the OP with are noise violations (if they apply).

There is a whole body of jurisprudence on what is, essentially, squatter's right for noise violations.  DFW Airport uses it, and it burns my ass that shooting ranges do not.

After the noise violation stuff, they will try to get them on environmental quality (TCEQ?), citing lead contamination issues.

When/if they do that, the OP should send me an email via site email (click on the "Email User" button), because I have an extensive citation list of scholarly works Rimstidt and others have written on lead transport in soil (it's not ANYWHERE NEAR as bad as people think it is), starting with a study he did for the U.S. Forestry Service a number of years ago.

Quoted: Quoted: Any lawyers out there who have ever tried a malicious prosecution lawsuit? Not a lawyer, but the next thing they will try to hit the OP with are noise violations (if they apply). There is a whole body of jurisprudence on what is, essentially, squatter's right for noise violations.  DFW Airport uses it, and it burns my ass that shooting ranges do not. After the noise violation stuff, they will try to get them on environmental quality (TCEQ?), citing lead contamination issues. When/if they do that, the OP should send me an email via site email (click on the "Email User" button), because I have an extensive citation list of scholarly works Rimstidt and others have written on lead transport in soil (it's not ANYWHERE NEAR as bad as people think it is), starting with a study he did for the U.S. Forestry Service a number of years ago.

I checked...no noise to worry about.  I have yet more updates and inside info from the nice friendly (for real) neighbor about the crazy people that are doing this.  I will post the update later today after I ride my motorcycle.  Oh and yesterday we went through about 700+ rounds at the range :)

BPF

Quoted: You need to have a home town forum shoot.

Agreed!!

Couple points....

I do not think the berm falls under the definition of a levee. The berm is not intended to have any water-control purposes and need not be engineered & certified to make sure it would do that if (when) needed. I REALLY don't think you want to go down that path.  

The berm is not a structure as it relates to the flood plain regulations. It has no walls or roof.

So, it looks like you could have a county inspector out to your place to make that official determination. I expect this would be free of cost to you, since you would not be applying for any permit. What you would be doing is verifying that you do not need a permit to make piles of dirt on your property, rather than certifying a levee for floodwater control. I strongly suggest playing this game by YOUR rules; don't get wrapped up in appeasing their complaints. Appeasement leads to more appeasement, and never gets them off your ass.  

Another tactic would be to have the range/backstop certified as a range suitable for Texas CHL purposes. This isn't difficult, and would be MUCH easier than going the 'engineered water control levee' route. It would get things on the books as an officially sanctioned shooting range by the state of Texas. You could open it up to classes every so often, if necessary. I know a CHL instructor in the Liberty Hill area that would probably be happy to do the shooting portion of the class there.  

Also, there is a state law that specifically prevents shooting ranges from being harassed or prosecuted for noise issues. Since you are out in the county, which has no noise ordinances, a recognized shooting range would have future protection if your area is annexed into a city or town. This may be a very good reason to cert your range for CHL purposes and have occasional classes out there.

Your complaining neighbors can then pound sand all they want - you'd have the power of law behind you, rather than having to defend your position. "The best defense..." and all!  

Also, there is a state law that specifically prevents shooting ranges from being harassed or prosecuted for noise issues. Since you are out in the county, which has no noise ordinances, a recognized shooting range would have future protection if your area is annexed into a city or town. This may be a very good reason to cert your range for CHL purposes and have occasional classes out there. Your complaining neighbors can then pound sand all they want - you'd have the power of law behind you, rather than having to defend your position. "The best defense..." and all!

Any way we can see this law online? I do like the CHL idea

Quoted: Couple points.... I do not think the berm falls under the definition of a levee. The berm is not intended to have any water-control purposes and need not be engineered & certified to make sure it would do that if (when) needed. I REALLY don't think you want to go down that path.   The berm is not a structure as it relates to the flood plain regulations. It has no walls or roof. So, it looks like you could have a county inspector out to your place to make that official determination. I expect this would be free of cost to you, since you would not be applying for any permit. What you would be doing is verifying that you do not need a permit to make piles of dirt on your property, rather than certifying a levee for floodwater control. I strongly suggest playing this game by YOUR rules; don't get wrapped up in appeasing their complaints. Appeasement leads to more appeasement, and never gets them off your ass.   Another tactic would be to have the range/backstop certified as a range suitable for Texas CHL purposes. This isn't difficult, and would be MUCH easier than going the 'engineered water control levee' route. It would get things on the books as an officially sanctioned shooting range by the state of Texas. You could open it up to classes every so often, if necessary. I know a CHL instructor in the Liberty Hill area that would probably be happy to do the shooting portion of the class there.   Also, there is a state law that specifically prevents shooting ranges from being harassed or prosecuted for noise issues. Since you are out in the county, which has no noise ordinances, a recognized shooting range would have future protection if your area is annexed into a city or town. This may be a very good reason to cert your range for CHL purposes and have occasional classes out there. Your complaining neighbors can then pound sand all they want - you'd have the power of law behind you, rather than having to defend your position. "The best defense..." and all!

Very interesting.....I will start looking into this....and this is what came in the mail yesterday:

Get a lawyer and push back a little.

Your friendly new neighbors didn't just fall into this.

Find out a little more about them, their education/employment, if they have friends in the area, etc.

Not many people would have known to call these folks first .  I'd put forward a wager that somebody helped them.

Quoted: You need to have a home town forum shoot.

+1.  I got some fun toys I'd be happy to bring.