(a) Police officers and pound operators designated by the Director of Service and Safety are authorized to provide for the removal and impounding of a vehicle under the following circumstances:
(1) When any vehicle is left unattended upon any street, bridge or causeway and is so illegally parked so as to constitute a hazard or obstruction to the normal movement of traffic, or so as to unreasonably interfere with street cleaning or snow removal operations.
(2) When any vehicle or "abandoned junk motor vehicle" as defined in Ohio R.C. 4513.63 is left on private property without the permission of the person having the right to the possession of the property, or on a public street or other property open to the public for purposes of vehicular travel or parking, or upon or within the right of way of any road or highway, without notification to the Police Chief of the reasons for leaving such vehicle in such place.
(3) When any vehicle has been stolen or operated without the consent of the owner.
(4) When any vehicle displays illegal license plates or fails to display the current lawfully required license plates.
(5) When any vehicle has been used in or connected with the commission of a felony.
(6) When any vehicle has been damaged or wrecked so as to be inoperable or violates equipment provisions of this Traffic Code whereby its continued operation would constitute a condition hazardous to life, limb or property.
(7) When any vehicle is left unattended due to the removal of an ill, injured or arrested operator or an operator under the influence of alcohol or any drug of abuse or any other substance or handicap which impairs his driving ability or which is in his possession at the time of arrest.
(8) When any vehicle has been operated by any person who has failed to stop in case of an accident or collision.
(9) When any vehicle has been operated by any person who is driving without a lawful license or while his license has been suspended or revoked.
(10) When any vehicle is found for which two or more citation tags for violations of this Traffic Code have been issued and the owner or operator thereof has failed to respond to such citation tags as lawfully required.
(11) When any vehicle is parked in violation of Section 351.14.
(b) Removal and conveyance may be accomplished by means of towing equipment or by operation of the impounded vehicle itself when so directed by the impounding officer.
(d) Prior to the impounding of any vehicle for any reason set forth in this section, the police officer having the vehicle impounded shall photograph the vehicle before it is moved and shall record the make of the vehicle, the registration and serial numbers when available, and details concerning the condition of the vehicle. He shall also record the name of the pound to which the vehicle is removed, the date and time of the removal and the name of the operator removing the same.
(e) If the impounding is a result of a violation of Section 351.14(a) where compliance with Section 351.14(c) regarding the erection of signs is required, a photograph of any signs and the recording of any information which would relate to the compliance with Section 351.14(c) should also be accomplished by the impounding officer prior to the impounding of the violating vehicle.
(f) A vehicle shall be deemed to be impounded from and after the time when the police officer requests assistance for removal of the impounded vehicle.
(g) In conjunction with the impounding of any vehicle, the police officer in charge of such impounding shall make a full and complete inventory of the contents of such impounded vehicle.
(Ord. 3749. Passed 12-11-73.)
(Ord. 3749. Passed 12-11-73.)
(h) The Police Department shall forthwith notify the registered vehicle owner of the fact of such removal and impounding, reasons therefor and the place of storage. Any person desiring to redeem an impounded vehicle shall appear at the Police Department to furnish satisfactory evidence of identity and ownership or right to possession. Prior to issuance of a release form, the claimant, owner or operator shall either pay the amount due for any fines for violations on account of which such vehicle was impounded or, as the court may require, post a bond in an amount set by the court, to appear to answer to such violations. The pound operator shall release such vehicle upon the receipt of the release form and payment of all towage and storage charges. The towage charges shall consist of the actual tow bill submitted by the tow truck operator and the storage charges when a vehicle is impounded and or stored by the City shall be periodically set by Service-Safety Director subject to the following:
(1) If a motor vehicle has a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating less than ten thousand one pounds, any fee for the storage of the vehicle charged by City shall not exceed the reasonable cost of complying with the requirements of those sections, but in no instance shall the fee exceed seventeen dollars per day; or
(2) If a motor vehicle has a manufacturer's gross vehicle weight rating greater than or equal to ten thousand one pounds, any fee for the storage of the vehicle charged by the City shall not exceed the reasonable cost of complying with the requirements of those sections, but in no instance shall the fee exceed twenty-nine dollars per day.
(Ord. 23-24. Passed 6-27-23.)