553.32 STORAGE OF UNATTENDED VESSEL OR MOTOR.
   A law enforcement official may order storage of a vessel or motor left on private property.
(a)   As used in this chapter:
(1)   "Vessel or outboard motor" excludes an abandoned junk vessel or outboard motor, as defined in Section 91.38 or any watercraft or outboard motor under Ohio R.C. 4585.31.
(2)   "Law enforcement agency" means the City of Sandusky Police Department.
(b)   The Chief of Police, within his respective territorial jurisdiction, upon complaint of any person adversely affected, may order into storage any vessel or outboard motor that has been left on private property for at least seventy-two hours without the permission of the person having the right to the possession of the property. The Chief of Police upon complaint of the owner of a marine repair facility or place of storage, may order into storage any vessel or outboard motor that has been left at the facility or place of storage for a longer period than that agreed upon. The place of storage shall be designated by the Chief of Police. When ordering a vessel or motor into storage under this subsection, the Chief of Police shall, whenever possible, arrange for the removal of the vessel or motor by a private tow truck operator or towing company. Subject to subsection (c) hereof, the owner of a vessel or motor that has been removed under this subsection may recover the vessel or motor only in accordance with subsection (f) hereof.
(c)   If the owner or operator of a vessel or outboard motor that has been ordered into storage under subsection (b) hereof arrives after the vessel or motor has been prepared for removal but prior to its actual removal from the property, the owner or operator shall be given the opportunity to pay a fee of not more than one-half of the charge for the removal of vessels or motors under subsection (b) hereof that normally is assessed by the person who has prepared the vessel or motor for removal, in order to obtain release of the vessel or motor. Upon payment of that fee, the vessel or motor shall be released to the owner or operator, and upon its release, the owner or operator immediately shall move it so that it is not on the private property without the permission of the person having the right to possession of the property, or is not at the facility or place of storage without the permission of the owner, whichever is applicable.
(d)   The Chief of Police shall maintain a record of vessels or outboard motors that he orders into storage under subsection (b) hereof. The record shall include an entry for each such vessel or motor that identifies the vessel's hull identification number or serial number, if any, the vessel's or motor's make, model and color, the location from which it was removed, the date and time of its removal, the telephone number of the person from whom it may be recovered, and the address of the place to which it has been taken and from which it may be recovered. Any information in the record that pertains to a particular vessel or motor shall be provided to any person who, either in person or by telephone, identifies himself as the owner or operator of the vessel or motor and requests information pertaining to its location.
(e)   Any person who registers a complaint that is the basis of the order of the Chief of Police for the removal and storage of a vessel or outboard motor under subsection (b) hereof shall provide the identity of the law enforcement agency with which the complaint was registered to any person who identifies himself as the owner or operator of the vessel or motor and requests information pertaining to its location.
(f)   The owner of a vessel or outboard motor that is ordered into storage under subsection (b) hereof may reclaim it upon payment of any expenses or charges incurred in its removal, in an amount not to exceed two hundred dollars ($200.00) and storage, in an amount not to exceed five dollars ($5.00) per twenty-four hour period, and upon presentation of proof of ownership, which may be evidenced by a certificate of title to the vessel or motor, certificate of United States Coast Guard documentation, or certificate of registration if the vessel or motor is not subject to titling under Ohio R.C. 1548.01. If a vessel or motor that is ordered into storage under subsection (b) hereof remains unclaimed by the owner for thirty days, the procedures established by Sections 553.33 and 553.34 shall apply.
(g)   No person shall remove, or cause the removal of, any vessel or outboard motor from private property other than in accordance with subsection (b) hereof or Section 553.33.
      (Ord. 92-075. Passed 6-8-92.)