Here is some actual legal advice from a lawyer in the family.
Step 1, find out what the zoning of the property was at time of purchase. This is important because if the zoning does not allow a home based business your screwed completely and must comply.
Step 2, provided zoning does allow home based businesses he must create a business immediately such as an LLC. Once accomplished he can then declare all the "junk" on the property part of the business.
Step 3, comply with the letter of the law that provides for environmental protection. This means, fluids and "standing water" here in Wisconsin we have a standing water law that says you can't have junk in your yard if it collects and retains water as that's a mosquito haven and a health hazard.
Step 4, submit for a county level inspection and become compliant. They cannot MAKE you remove junk but they can tell you to rearrange it, tag it as "empty" or tell you it needs to be under covers.
Step 5, once you have complied the HOA cannot enforce anything at all. He will be as has been said already, grandfathered in. But he NEEDS to be in environmental compliance with the county AND zoning compliance with the law as it was written at the time he purchased the property.
Anything else...leaves him open to legal recourse.
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