(A) The Chief of Police is hereby authorized to remove or have removed any vehicle left at any place within the village or on any village property, within or without the corporate limits, which reasonably appears to be in violation of this chapter or lost, stolen, or unclaimed. Such vehicle shall be impounded until lawfully claimed or disposed of in accordance with the state and provisions of this chapter; provided, however, that any vehicle left at any place, other than on village property, shall not be removed and impounded as provided herein until the Chief of Police shall have given written notice to remove said vehicle within ten days of the mailing of such notice and of the intention of the Chief of Police to remove and impound such vehicle if it has not been removed at the end of such time.
(B) The notice required in division (A) above shall be given by:
(1) Affixing notice on such vehicle.
(2) Sending notice by mail to the owner of such vehicle at his last known address if the owner is reasonably ascertainable; and
(3) By sending notice by mail to the person owning or controlling the property on which such vehicle is located.
(C) The Chief of Police may enter upon private property at all reasonable hours for the purpose of inspecting such vehicle, and it shall be unlawful for any person to prevent the Chief of Police from entering on private property for purposes of carrying out his duties hereunder or to interfere with him in the lawful performance of his duties under the provisions of this chapter. The Chief of Police may tow, or cause to be towed, any vehicle abandoned, parked, or otherwise kept in violation of the provisions of this chapter, to a suitable storage area.
(D) The owner of or person abandoning, parking, or otherwise keeping a vehicle in violation of the provisions of this chapter, which is impounded under the provisions of law and this chapter, shall be charged a fee in a sum sufficient to cover the charges and expenses of impounding and the enforcement of this chapter, payable to the Village Clerk, which fee may be collected by the village in an action at law against said violator, and which fee must be paid prior to the release of the vehicle so impounded. This fee shall be in addition to the fine provided for herein for the violation of this chapter.
(Ord. 571, passed 4-4-66)