For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ABANDONED VEHICLE.
(1) The term means the following:
(a) A vehicle located on public property illegally.
(b) A vehicle left on public property without being moved for three days.
(c) A vehicle located on public property in such a manner as to constitute a hazard or obstruction to the movement of pedestrian or vehicular traffic on a public right-of-way.
(d) A vehicle that has remained on private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of that property for more than 48 hours.
(e) A vehicle from which the engine, transmission, or differential has been removed or that is otherwise partially dismantled or inoperable and left on public property.
(f) A vehicle that has been removed by a towing service or public agency upon request of an officer enforcing a statute or an ordinance if the impounded vehicle is not claimed or redeemed by the owner or the owner's agent within 20 days after the vehicle's removal.
(g) A vehicle that is at least three model years old, is mechanically inoperable, and is left on private property continuously in a location visible from public property for more than 20 days.
(IC 9-13-2-1)
(2) A vehicle otherwise fitting the definition of an
ABANDONED VEHICLE shall not be considered an abandoned vehicle if it is:
(a) A vehicle in operable condition specifically adapted or constructed for operation on privately owned raceways.
(b) A vehicle stored as the property of a member of the armed forces of the United States who is on active duty assignment.
(c) A vehicle located on a vehicle sale lot or at a commercial vehicle servicing or leasing facility.
(d) A vehicle located upon property licensed or zoned as an automobile scrap yard.
(e) A vehicle registered and licensed under IC 9-18-12 as an antique vehicle. (IC 9-22-1-1)
(3) A vehicle shall not be considered an
ABANDONED VEHICLE if it is stored in a garage or other building or within a screened area which blocks the vehicle from public view from the road or neighboring dwellings.
PARTS. Refers to all components of a vehicle that as assembled do not constitute a complete vehicle. (IC 9-13-2-122)
VEHICLE. Refers to an automobile, a motorcycle, a truck, a trailer, a semitrailer, a tractor, a bus, a school bus, a recreational vehicle, or a motorized bicycle.
(Ord. 2007-8, passed 10-2-07)
Statutory reference:
IC 9-31-2-1, which corresponds to division (1)(b) of the definition of abandoned vehicle, has been amended to read “A vehicle left on public property without being moved for three days.”
Extended statutory definition of vehicle, see IC 9-13-2-196