Sometimes you can kick them in other ways. Use their own rules against them,
Many years ago my Dad was paralysed after a stroke. They (the township) told me I could not have a proper wheelchair ramp for him. That was their first mistake. Their second was telling me it would take 60-90 days to appeal. The third was telling me I had to use a temporary AL ramp. After finding out that AL ramps rented on the order of 350$ a month, and were too narrow for Dad's chair, I was POed. I didn't have the time or money to get a lawyer. Winter was coming and Dad had two weeks of rehab. So I went the to the university law library, and got busy finding property precedent all the way back to the middle ages. Then I used the ADA against them. With my neighbors help, I built a fully ADA compliant ramp in the front yard, 4 foot wide, with the less then 1" in 21" slope, which amounted to 40 linear feet of plywood with a right angle turn. So the township convinced a local contractor to complain to the the county that I was building a ILLEGAL deck.
The county building inspector types, Nam vets, both of them, did not take kindly to finding out they had fined me 300$ a day to deny a WWII vet access to his house. So they marched me into the county architect's office. He said can you do a drawing? . Out came the ink and mylar and I was back the next day. . He reviewed my very amateur drawings , made a few changes and threatened to slap his PE stamp on them. That allowed me to go head to head with the county solicitor and the local zoning inspector. Then a friend donated me some low VOC varnish for the wood, and I didn't know it at the time, but he slipped a dye in it that changed to bright orange to indicate a complete cure of the polymer. Then I went to the fire department and confirmed the gurney would fit on the ramp. Add one seriously POed fire chief to the mix.
By the time I got done a hour away at the county seat, Mom had told at one local official that if he ever came on the property again, without a warrant and a officer of the peace with him, he would be met with a loaded shotgun which might go off.
I was told we were too much of a bother and to just build the small ramp. As a matter of precedent, I decided to leave the big monster up, with my neighbor's support.
Six months later a similar incident came up where a 14 year old girl with MS was blocked from having a ramp by her neighbors. Whoops. Suddenly the township was scared of being sued. So in a twist of fate, guess whom they called. I ended up being tasked with writing the draft rule for the zoning board. They got handed 15 pages.
It got distilled down to all you need is a MD's note for a ramp, which is what I wanted in the first place.
My big mistake was, admittedly, asking for help and permission from the township.
But no regrets, I made sure the next person who had trouble, would not have to go through the same mess that I did. \\
So you can fight city hall once in a while and win.
Steve