(a) Abandoned Motor Vehicles on Private Property.
(1) No person shall park, store or leave, or permit the parking or storing of any unlicensed motor vehicle or any vehicle inoperable or wrecked, junk, partially dismantled, or abandoned condition, whether attended or not, for a period in excess of five (5) calendar days upon any private property within the Village, unless the same is completely enclosed within a building, or unless it is in connection with a business enterprise operated in a lawful place and manner and licensed as such, when necessary to the operation of such enterprise, or it is a collector’s vehicle, pursuant to Ohio R.C. 4501.01(f).
(2) For the purposes of this section, a motor vehicle shall be deemed to be in wrecked or junk condition if any of the following apply:
A. The vehicle is extremely damaged, including but not limited to any of the following: missing wheels, tires, motors or transmissions, or;
B. The vehicle is apparently inoperable;
C. The vehicle is unlicensed;
D. The vehicle is deemed to be detrimental to the aesthetics of the Village.
(3) Whoever violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the third degree.
(b) Removal Required. The accumulation and storage of one or more such motor vehicles in violation of the provisions of this section shall constitute rubbish and unsightly debris, and shall constitute a nuisance, detrimental to the health, safety and general welfare of the citizens of the Village. It shall be duty of the owner of such motor vehicle, and shall be the duty of the person in charge or control of the private property upon which the motor vehicle is located to remove said vehicle to a valid storage area.
(c) Notice to Remove. Whenever there are reasonable grounds to believe that a violation of the provisions of this section exists, the Chief of Police or Village Administrator, shall give or cause to be given, written notice to the registered owner of any motor vehicle which is in violation of this section, or to the owner or person in lawful possession or control of the private property upon which such motor vehicle is located, or to both the registered owner and the owner or person in lawful possession or control of such private property, by certified mail with return receipt or by personal service, that said motor vehicle violates the provisions of this section and that within five (5) days the motor vehicle is to be removed to a place of lawful storage or housed where it is not visible from the roadway.
(d) Removal by the Village. The Chief of Police or Village Administrator may remove abandoned motor vehicles as defined in this section if the registered owner of any motor vehicle which is in violation of this section, or the owner, or person in lawful possession or control of the private property upon which the same is located, fails, neglects or refuses to remove or house said motor vehicle in accordance with the notice served upon them pursuant to the provisions of this section.
The Chief of Police or Village Administrator or any contracting agent of the Village, and employee of said agent, and authorized officer, or agent of the Village are hereby expressly authorized to enter upon private property for such purpose and to remove any motor vehicle in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. Any person to whom notice was given pursuant to this section shall have the right to remove or house such motor vehicle in accordance with such notice at their own expense prior to the arrival of the Chief of Police, Village Administrator or authorized agents of the Village. (Ord. 2003-21. Passed 10-27-03.)