For the purpose of this subchapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ABANDONED VEHICLE. Includes:
(1) A vehicle located on public property illegally;
(2) A vehicle located on public property in a manner as to constitute a hazard or obstruction to the movement of pedestrian or vehicle traffic on a public right-of-way;
(3) A vehicle from which there has been removed the engine, transmission, or differential or that is otherwise partially dismantled or inoperable and left on public property;
(4) A vehicle left on public property continuously without being moved for 72 hours;
(5) A vehicle that has remained on private property without the consent of the owner, or person in control of that property, for more than 72 hours; (nothing in this statute shall prevent a property owner from removing, at any time and in any lawful manner, a vehicle left on his or her own property without his or her consent, except in a case where the owner of the vehicle also resides on the property where the vehicle is left. If the owner requests the county’s assistance in removal of the vehicle, however, this statute governs all stages of the removal);
(6) A vehicle that does not have a current and valid license plate or an Affidavit of Nonuse -State Form 56164 (a maximum five vehicles per property can be registered with State Form 56164) and/or from which there has been removed the engine, transmission or differential or that is otherwise dismantled or inoperable and is left on private property continuously in a location visible from public property for more than 20 days;
(7) A vehicle that does not have a current and valid license plate or an Affidavit of Nonuse-State Form 56164 (a maximum five vehicles per property can be registered with State Form 56164) and/or is three or more model years old and mechanically inoperable and is left in a location visible from public property for more than 20 days;
(8) A vehicle that has been removed by a towing service or a public agency upon request of an officer enforcing a statute or ordinance of this subchapter if the vehicle once impounded is not claimed or redeemed by the owner or his or her agent within 15 days of its removal; or
(9) The following described vehicles do not fit within the definition of “abandoned vehicles;”
(a) Vehicles and attachments specifically designed and owned for agricultural purposes and kept on property used for that purpose;
(b) A vehicle in operable condition specifically adopted, modified or constructed for operation on privately-owned raceways, to include derby cars;
(c) A vehicle stored as the property of a member of the Armed Forces of the United States who is on an active duty assignment;
(d) A vehicle located on a vehicle sale lot or at a commercial servicing facility, operated in accordance with Chapter 150 of this code of ordinances;
(e) A vehicle located upon property licensed or zoned as an automobile scrapyard;
(f) A vehicle registered and licensed under I.C. 9-18-12-1 et seq. as an antique vehicle;
(g) A vehicle being dismantled to keep another vehicle in running condition if the owner hauls away the dismantled vehicle after a 60-day period has expired; and
(h) A vehicle concealed in a garage or other building, with the owner’s knowledge and consent.
OWNER. The last record titleholder of a vehicle according to the records of the Bureau of Motor Vehicles under I.C. 9-13-2-121.
PARTS. All components of a vehicle that as assembled do not constitute a complete vehicle and are placed in the same manner as an “abandoned vehicle.”
PERSON. Any individual, firm partnership, association, corporation, company, fiduciary, government entity, or organization of any kind.
PRIVATE PROPERTY. All property other than public property within the county.
PUBLIC PROPERTY. A public right-of-way, street, highway, alley, park, or other state, county, or municipal property located within the county.
TOWING SERVICE. A business that engages in moving or removing disabled vehicles and, once removed, to store or impound vehicles.
VEHICLE. A machine propelled by power other than human power designed to travel along the ground or in the air by use of wheels, treads, runners, slides, or similar devices, and transport persons or property, or pull machinery, and includes, but is not limited to, the automobile, motorcycle, truck, trailer, semi-trailer, tractor, bus, school bus, recreational vehicle, motorized bicycle, buggy, and wagon.
(Ord. 24-2021, passed 12-28-2021)