(a) No person, being the owner, lessee, agent or tenant having charge of lots or lands within the Municipality, shall park, store or leave or permit to be parked, stored or left upon such lots or lands, any abandoned vehicle.
(b) As used in this section, “abandoned vehicle” means any vehicle as defined in Ohio R.C. 4501.01 which is dismantled, inoperative or unlicensed, parked, stored or left on any lots or lands in the Municipality for a period of more than ten days, unless it is kept in a completely enclosed building or garage.
(c) When the Chief of Police ascertains that an abandoned vehicle is parked, stored or left upon lots or lands within the Municipality, he shall cause written notice and demand to be served upon the owner, lessee, agent or tenant having charge of such lots or lands that such vehicle shall be removed from such premises within five days after the service of such notice. If the owner, or other person having charge of the lands is a nonresident whose address is known, the notice shall be sent to his address by registered mail. If the address of the owner is unknown, it shall be sufficient to publish the notice once in a newspaper of general circulation in Lake County, Ohio. Any police officer of the Municipality may make service and return of the notice provided for in this section.
(d) The five-day period as prescribed in subsection (c) hereof shall be deemed to commence from the day of the service of notice or the date of publication, if any. If the person notified shall fail to remove such vehicle within the time prescribed by this section, the Municipality shall remove or cause to be removed such vehicle and dispose of the same according to law. All expenses and costs of removal and/or disposal shall be charged against the owner of such vehicle or the owner of the lots or lands upon which such vehicle is parked, stored or left or both, and shall be in addition to any fine, cost or penalty for which the owner of such vehicle or the owner of such lots or lands may have become liable.
(e) Whoever violates any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. Punishment shall be provided in Section 303.99. A separate offense shall be deemed committed for each successive day a violation continues.
(Ord. 1978-97. Passed 1-22-78.)