Ask Officer Michelle – Question #46
Dear Officer Michelle,
Wow, how many people can relate with bad neighbor relations? I’ve got a neighbor who has affectively “abandoned” their beat up truck dead in front of my property despite having ample parking space of their own (I’ve got pictures to prove it)? They refuse to move it out of some unresolved spite and all three legal departments, the police, street parking, and code enforcement will defend them by claiming the streets are public property.
My question: How does one resolve this peacefully before it gets nasty?
Thank you. Luis
Dear Luis,
It’s too bad that you have to look at an unsightly vehicle parked in front of your house. Unfortunately, much to your frustration, the fact is that if it is legally parked on the street, it is not posing a hazard, and the registration is current, we can’t tow it. There is a city code section (10.36.080 sub section (a)(1)) that relates to this situation. If a vehicle is abandoned on a city street more than 72 hours, it can be marked by code enforcement. If it remains unused after that, code enforcement can mark it for tow. Your neighbor may move it a few feet, in order to act as if it has been moved, however, code enforcement will look at the odometer. If it hasn’t moved more than lets say a mile, it will still be marked for tow. Its not that law enforcement is defending your neighbors, it’s simply that there are no laws against unsightly vehicles. There are additional, things you can look for. For instance, if the vehicle is leaking oil on the street, if the vehicle is a hazard (broken glass, or leaking fluids into the gutter), or if the vehicle is blocking a driveway, a community service officer will come out. I hope you can resolve this and still have peace in your neighborhood. Good luck.
Officer Michelle
