This is another clear example of the Idiocy of Government over-regulation

Read the above-linked article from Reason's blog Hit & Run.

Apparently, the local government in Seattle is trying to shut down a Bed & Breakfast by using a ridiculously arbitrary regulation, that runs counter to previously promulgated explanations of how the law works.

First of all, I have some reservations about zoning laws in the first place because they often, needlessly infringe on property rights. Hey folks, if you don't want your neighbors to open a B&B, or paint their front doors green, move into one of those ridiculous covenant communities.

Second, to fully comprehend the ridiculousness of this case, you have to understand the following:

From the linked article:

"According to the city's interpretation of Seattle Municipal Code 23.44.051(6), it would have been fine if the McAfertys had simply remodeled their home. Likewise if they had remodeled it and sold it to someone else who then used it as a B&B. Where they ran afoul of the law was in remodeling their home and subsequently offering rooms for rent. This interpretation is contrary to the explanation offered last year by the director of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development:

I understand that regulations pertaining to bed and breakfast use stipulate that exterior alterations must not be a part of establishing a bed and breakfast use. However, there is no restriction on how much time must transpire between making exterior alterations for a house remodel and establishing bed and breakfast use."

You see people, whenever you cry about how the government should do something to help the little people or small business owners and the like, it is those very people who most often end up getting the short end of the stick.

Kid Handsome