A.
No person
shall abandon or permit the abandonment on public or private property
within the City any motor vehicle owned by him/her, under his/her
control or in his/her possession at the time of abandonment, nor,
except as provided herein, cause any abandoned vehicle or motor vehicle
in a state of substantial disrepair to be stored in the open.
B.
Nothing
in this Section shall apply to a vehicle which is completely enclosed
within a locked building or locked fenced area and not visible from
adjacent public or private property, nor to any vehicle upon the property
of a business licensed as salvage, swap, junk dealer, towing or storage
facility so long as the business is operated in compliance with its
business license and the property is in compliance with applicable
zoning ordinances.
No person shall leave on any street or highway within the City
any partially dismantled, non-operating, wrecked or junked motor vehicle
or any motor vehicle not displaying a permanent license plate or set
of plates indicating current registration by one of the States or
territories.
A.
No person
in charge or control of any property within the City, whether as owner,
tenant, occupant, lessee, agent or otherwise, shall allow any vehicle
without having thereon displayed a current State license plate or
a historic motor vehicle license plate, as by law provided, or any
abandoned vehicle or any vehicle in such a state of disrepair that
it is unsightly or incapable of being moved under its own power to
remain on such property longer than seven (7) days.
B.
However,
no person in charge or control of any property within the City, whether
as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee, agent or otherwise, shall allow
any vehicle without having thereon displayed a current State license
plate or a historic motor vehicle license plate, as by law provided,
or any abandoned vehicle or any vehicle in such a state of disrepair
that it is unsightly or incapable of being moved under its own power
to remain on any unpaved surface in front of the front building line
of such property longer than twenty-four (24) hours. Such vehicle
shall be required to be removed or be stored in a garage after twenty-four
(24) hours.
Any person in charge or control of any property within the City,
whether as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee, agent or otherwise, who
finds an abandoned vehicle or any partially dismantled, non-operating,
wrecked or junked motor vehicle left on such property without his/her
knowledge, acquiescence or consent, where the owner of the vehicle
has failed or refused to remove the same or the owner of the vehicle
is unknown, shall promptly notify the Police of the year, model and
make of such vehicle and, if known or ascertainable, the registration,
license, serial number and ownership thereof with such further and
additional information as the Police may request.
A.
Where any motor vehicle, as is referred to in Section 385.030, is in such condition that it is no longer self-propelled, then the person in charge or control, whether as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee, agent or otherwise, of property on which such motor vehicle is situated shall remove and dispose of such motor vehicle through a private contractor by private means.
B.
Where
the person in charge or control of the property, whether as owner,
tenant, occupant, lessee, agent or otherwise, after ten (10) days
of having been given written notice has failed to remove such motor
vehicle, then the Police are authorized to arrange for prompt removal
on behalf of the City; but such action by the Police shall not provide
a defense or excuse to the person in charge or control of such property
for failure to comply with this Chapter.
C.
The person
in charge or control of such property shall pay and be jointly and
severally liable for all costs incurred by the City in effecting such
removal. In the event that payment is not made on demand, such costs
shall be assessed against property on which such motor vehicle was
located, as provided by law in the case of special assessments, and
such costs are to be collected by the Collector of taxes assessed
against the property; and such costs shall, like taxes, be a first
(1st) lien on the property affected thereby, until paid.
Any person in charge or control, whether as owner, tenant, occupant,
lessee, agent or otherwise, of property on which an abandoned vehicle
or a partially dismantled, non-operating, wrecked or junked motor
vehicle shall be situated who fails to remove such motor vehicle in
accordance with the request made by the Police shall not deny access
to such property by any duly authorized agent of the City for the
purpose of examining or removing such vehicle.
Where the existence of a motor vehicle on public property, private
property or on a street or highway shall be an immediate hazard and
thereby constitute a nuisance requiring prompt abatement, the Police
may without notice, if notice is infeasible, cause the same to be
removed and the Police shall thereupon notify the owner or owners
of such motor vehicle if known, by certified mail, of the location
thereof and of the right of such owner to secure return of possession
of the motor vehicle upon payment of the cost of removal and storage.
Nothing herein shall be construed to provide the owner with a defense
against any Sections of this Chapter.
A.
Nothing
in this Chapter shall be deemed to prohibit the storage of abandoned
vehicles in disrepair in designated tow-away areas approved by resolution
of the Council.
B.
Nothing
in this Chapter shall be deemed to prohibit the storage of motor vehicles
not displaying a permanent license plate or set of plates indicating
current registration by one of the United States by a motor vehicle
dealer registered as such by the Department of Revenue of the State.
