Any ideas about putting directions on one of those house signs? I could put our address then simple directions like "turn right at next drive then left at stone road" Any other ideas would be appreciated. I worry about emergency services finding us if need be. Working with the neighbor is not an option. What do other do who are far back off the road?

I always believed that once you allowed access on your property to another property the access became public or joint ownership. But am in no way knowledgable regarding other states, counties, etc.

If a sign is the only option there are some great old sign makers that could come up with something to "direct" visitors the right way. I had one made from old barn wood. Although you might have to make a separate post from the mail box as I'm not sure you can attach anything to it. Another law to look at.

By the way, it is not the owners decision where the mailbox goes. A mailbox is federal property and the post office tells you where you must put it. So ask the post master if it is in the right place or not? Maybe the mail person will have to trespass on that mans property to get to your land and your mailbox. That would not be a good idea. Hmm, what about the property across the main road. would you be allowed to put your mail box or a sign there. Maybe that neighbor does not care for the old fart either, lol.

Twomonths, We have a piece of the road and our mailbox currently sits on it--it's just that you cannot see our house from the road--you just see a lone mailbox. As I mentioned, we live on a river, wetlands to one side and a beautiful pond on the side facing the road (with the mailbox). The pond side is heavily wooded thus allowing no visualization from the road. The remaining side is the shared driveway from hell.

You are all so kind with your suggestions. Perhaps I will take an idea I had after reading Twomonths post and make a sign that says "Make a right at the old farts house"!!!!!

I guess what everyone was trying to say is if your drive (or rather your neighbors drive) is connected to a county road (whether paved or unpaved) then there is more then likely an easement.

I think that is what most were trying to advise you of, that your neighbor has no authority in not allowing you to place the mail box close to the drive as its not his land most likely. Generally roads have 30', 40' or 60' easements. You measure from the center of the road out. So a 30' easement would be 15' out from the center of the road in either direction.

I work for the post office. I HIGHLY recommend you speak with your Postmaster. He can advise you and has the authority for placement.

But . . . if you are so inclined, or if you find out your neighbors drive is not connected to a public road and you still want a sign.

We have lots of roads in our area that "share" drives. I would suggest two signs. First at box stating " ## of house, next right" And another at your next turn giving the house number again. I'm not incline to put your name on a sign, but many do in this area.
Making sure both signs looks similar in shape and/or color.

Still . . . I realize it is shakey ground with neighbor, but you may find a simple solution in speaking with the Postmaster.

Would love to hear what you decided.

In cases of a shared driveway, you'll find a cluster of residence number signs on the main road, and as you turn in, each home has it's indivual number where their private drive turns off. If the road winds back a ways, there can be as many as three signs designating the direction to find say, house number 456789; one at the main road, one where the road divides if you can't see the houses, and finally, one at the entrance of the driveway.

Are you required to maintain your own driveway? If so, you should be able to put up some kind of marker; even an arrow pointing down your drive toward the unseen house would work. If nothing else, try putting up a flag; it's doubtful your cranky neighbor would be taking that down.

Sidebar--when we first moved in we logically thought we would put the mailbox next to the shared drive. One of our contractors bought a 50 lb bag of cement and placed it where the box would go. The neighbors wife ( a mid 60 yr old little lady ) took the bag and carried it back up to our property!!! )

In terms of your sign suggestion, we would not be able to put up the second sign--turn right or arrow sign--as the neighbor would not allow that on his property. We use the drive but the right of way is not deeded to us. He threatened to block our right of way once and I was quite upset because it truly is our only way in and out.

Littledog, I wish I lived in your county. I called emergency services and the fire marshals office. My concern is emergency services not being able to find us easily. They told me to call 911 and give them detailed directions to our house so they could have it on file--so I did.

Didn't mean to get into all this neighbor stuff with my sign question. I'm in a tough situation. You are all very kind and I appreciate everything that was advised.

Then if you put up a sign or mailbox in a place that you should have rights to and they move it--CALL the cops. That's vandalism and theft.

If the signs are removed, have a *huge* party. Mark the driveway with helium balloons, but NOT the turn off to your drive. Let all the folks drive into their property. LOL That might convince them you need a sign.

They have no right to make your life miserable. They do not own ALL that pavement or dirt. I'm pretty sure state laws give you the rights you are looking for--don't let those folks take them away from you. These folks are bullies.

As far as a sign goes, local craft fairs have folks who make pretty wooden signs. I'm sure you could find something similar for your house number. Sink a sturdy post and mount the sign high enough to be seen from a car. Also consider those solar powered address lights from Home Decorators, if the location gets enough direct sun.

There may also be something illegal about selling you a property that has no access. I would think you have some recourse.

Anyway, if you put your mailbox far enough behind the neighbor's so that theirs doesn't block yours completely, would that work?

Make a nice, handpainted sign that says "123" or whatever your number is, followed by "rear lot, bear left from drive" or something short and sweet that clarifies where you are. Stick it on the mailbox post under the mailbox, or hang it from a bracket below the box so it's visible from both directions. Paint the directions on both sides.

Use a flat piece of exterior plywood with pieces of mitered or butt-jointed 1x2 to create a frame around it. I did this at our last house, which had a long driveway and a lot of trees in front. Enlarge a font on your computer that is easy to read and looks nice until it's the actual size that will fit on your sign board. Transfer the lettering to the board by rubbing the back side of the paper with a pencil and pressing hard on the front to transfer the marks. Then fill it in with paint. I even antiqued mine with a glaze, and sealed it with a spray can of clear polyurethane.

Good luck.

I ended up finding this green, illuminated sign that you can place your own letters on. I bought illuminated letters and spelled out the directions to our house and hung it on the side of our mailbox. Works great--not pretty--but effective. I just want EMS/fire to be able to find us.

Thanks for all the great suggestions and most of all, empathy for this really sucky situation.

I know how awful it can be when you are having a conflict with neighbors. It isn't a pleasant situation. I wish you the best of luck with those folks!

Every piece of property sold, and I do mean EVERY piece of property, has to have entrance/exit access. It's called EASEMENT. I believe another poster mentioned that somewhere above. Anyway... I wouldn't care what the neighbors thought one bit! You are legally entitled to your "EASEMENT", and no one can keep you from using it! That includes a mailbox and an address sign!

Our neighbors were the same way... crotchety old people with poor attitudes toward all their neighbors. We had an address sign and a mailbox, and they never once messed with it, knowing the legalities of doing so would lead them into court. There's not one thing they can do to you or your children to stop you from using the jointly shared access...

They don't technically own the easement... neither do you... but you both have to share it... If it were me, I'd simply tell them I was posting a sign so people can find my home, people like my attorney, my relatives, the police, etc... I'd say it with a smile, and very nicely... they'll get the message...

No one wants to have a poor relationship with neighbors, but it sounds like they've already made up their minds to have a poor one with you... no one wants to make waves, either, but a person also has to be willing to stand up for what's right...

I hope it works out for you in the best possible way... however, remember that you are in the right! Personally, I like the idea of a larger, more unusual colored mailbox! I might put an arrow on top pointing toward my house... if it were me!

To me, it is an embarrassment. My husband tells me to ignore it since this man will do anything to make our lives miserable if we let him. I try to ignore it but we have a nice house that we worked very hard for. I also have 3 kids who wonder why the hell there is an old swing set practically on the road.

Several months ago, this neighbor cut down about 10+ trees on his property without permission--we live in a critical lands area and this carries a Hugh fine. He had a company on his property for 2 days removing trees and roots (evidence) and planted grass the minute they left. I took
pictures thinking that I may need them for a rainy day. I have a letter and the pictures sitting on my desk wishing I had the courage to send them to our Natural Resource Police. I will be honest, this neighbor is a bully and I am scared of him. I just wonder what he would do next if I sent them. I would send them anonymously since I fear repercussions however, the reason the junk was placed in the driveway was because he thought we called the NRP when he was cutting down the trees in the first place--even though our name was not given to him as the source of the call--he assumed! Lucky for him, the NRP arrived a week after the trees were cut and gone so he was given a warning ony.

I'd really like to move but my husband says NO! I'm stuck.

Hang in there = this too shall pass
I'm glad you are NOT like him.

I am new to this forum and have only come across your post today. I dont't understand why you refuse to be reasonable. Its as if you are baricaded in your house by this neighbor and they have not said word one to you. The neighbor seems perfectly content to dish it out and you are completely willing to accept their poor behavior. I do not mean to be insulting but this cowering in your house for fear of the neighbor does not do well in teaching your 3 little children that you and your husband are courageous people and hold your own in the community. Think of it this way. If a bully was treating your kids badly everyday, you would want to do something about it. Now the shoe is on the other foot, you are the ones being bullied and your kids might be thinking that mom and dad are powereless, therefore I am vulnerable too.

Please tell your husband I said punking out is never the solution. Bravely facing a tough situation is the only way to get a positive outcome for you and your family. What would it hurt to just knock on the door and say, Look, the present situation is not working for me. Lets find a middle ground.

We are currently working with neighborhood services, a conflict resolution service in our community. We also had the fire dept make an on site visit to our home to verify the dangerous situation we may find ourselves in case of fire.

The gloves are on--I'll let you know what happens.

Thanks for your post.

Also, if you have a title insurance policy and you have trouble with the easement you may have a claim against the title company. I think your neighbor is over reaching his authority.
An easement means you have a right to use the area as you see fit subject only to any subdivision restrictions placed when the land was subdivided into 3 tracts. Talk to your attorney.