What The Real-Life Simpson’s Treehouse Is Teaching Us About Building Regulations

The Simpsons is one of the most beloved and long-running shows of all time. Now in its 35th season, the cartoon, which is not overtly political, has often poked fun at the absurdity of government. But its latest lesson on ridiculous overregulation comes not from the show itself, but from the backyard of one of its former producers. 

Twenty-Four years ago, former Simpson’s producer Rick Polizzi built a treehouse for his daughters in his backyard. The treehouse was inspired by and modeled after Bart Simpson’s iconic treehouse from the show and it soon became a treasured landmark in his Sherman Oaks, California neighborhood. As cherished as the treehouse was by children, it was loathed by a few busybody adults who spent years trying to get it torn down. 

Hell hath no fury like an overzealous neighbor who takes it upon themselves to police everything that goes on in their neighborhood. And for about ⅓ of the time that the treehouse has existed, Rick has been fighting his disgruntled neighbor, who has been trying to get the treehouse torn down. 

The Treehouse vs. City Hall

For decades, people have come far and wide to see Rick’s famous treehouse. Eventually, Rick wanted to make things extra special for the fans and began creating intricate Halloween displays for the neighborhood. The treehouse from the cartoon had been the reason that The Simpson’s always ran a special Halloween episode each year called, “Treehouse of Horrors,” making this a perfect tie-in with the show. It soon became a treasured tradition for so many local families. 

The treehouse’s popularity, especially during Halloween season, attracted visitors—a lot of visitors, and his neighbor was less than thrilled and made a habit of routinely calling the police whenever the crowd got too big. When these frequent calls failed to yield the results the neighbor had hoped, they instead turned to the city, claiming that Rick was running an unlicensed business out of the treehouse. 

When the city came to inspect, they asked Rick for his permit, which he didn’t have. The Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety then cited him for lacking the permits in 2017 AND filed misdemeanor charges in 2020. Thus began a years-long legal battle where Rick fought to have the case dismissed. 

Rick described the frustrating scenario:

“Once it gets into that City Hall system, I run into the red tape, the bureaucracy. And it was just seven years of banging your head against the wall and nothing ever happened. We got the zoning, but we don’t have the building permits, and they are calling it an ADU. And I’m saying it’s not an ADU. It’s under 120 square feet. And they just are saying, no, you’re going to need geological samples. You’re going to have to have surveys, architectural drawings, structural engineering drawings.” 

After spending years and tens of thousands of dollars on legal fees, last month Rick made the gut-wrenching decision to capitulate to the city and tear the treehouse down. 

This treehouse meant so much to so many and had gained national recognition, even making appearances on “America’s Got Talent,” “Treehouse Masters”, and a Make-a-Wish Foundation ad. Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti had even brought his daughter to see the famous treehouse. It had truly become a community staple to so many who had fond memories of visiting the treehouse.  

As one neighbor remembers, “My son is 39 years old and we used to come here every Halloween in preparation for the big holiday,” she said. “With everything going on in the world right now, you have to figure out [a way to keep the treehouse up]…this is joy for our neighborhood. I am in mourning today.”

Rick is also mourning the loss, “This wasn’t really hurting anyone. It had been up for 24 years. Never an incident. It just seems like you’d be able to soften the permitting for something like this. But I just never could get guidance from building and safety. And it was more legal fees, and we’re taking it to court. And the average citizen just has to give up,” he said. 

Horrible as it is for Rick and the community to say goodbye to something that has held such sentimental value for so long, his situation highlights a bigger problem with California’s building restrictions. 

More Than Just A Treehouse

California is especially when it comes to construction restrictions, which has only served to exacerbate the ongoing housing shortage–especially when it comes to Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), like “granny flats” As the shortage continued to grow, the state of California acknowledged the problem and in recent years, instituted a series of reforms supporting the construction of new ADUs. Yet, even with the state’s efforts, county and city governments have been ignoring these reforms, San Diego County and Riverside County being the biggest culprits.

Instead of abiding by the laws that are supposed to make it easier to build, local governments have come after homeowners, some of whom are merely trying to build ADUs to keep elderly family members closeby, trapping them in a maze of red tape demanding permits and exorbitant fees, or worse, prohibiting construction altogether. Why are they doing this? Because NIMBY (not in my backyard) neighbors fear that it might look unsightly or that more affordable housing might draw in tenants, of whom they do not approve.

Unfortunately for these NIMBYs, property owners have the right to build whatever they please on their own property. This right is so inherent to our country’s founding, it’s shocking how far we have stayed from that principle. While California is far from the only state to stand in the way of property owners it is certainly one of the worst. Getting out of the way and upholding this right will not only create new and affordable housing options, but it will also allow harmless structures, like treehouses, to bring joy to countless people who see these structures as staples in their communities.

The removal of Rick’s tree house may not be as serious a matter as the housing crisis, but it is a major loss of property rights. As Rick’s attorney said: “It’s an iconic structure in the Sherman Oaks neighborhood that’s going to be gone for no reason other than bureaucracy run wild,” he said.