[Adopted 5-10-1965 by Ord. No. 351]
The Police Department of the Borough of Pleasant
Hills is hereby authorized and empowered to remove any abandoned or
wrecked automobile from any of the streets in the Borough of Pleasant
Hills.
An automobile shall be considered as abandoned
or wrecked if it has been parked and unattended for a period of 72
hours. This provision shall not apply to a vehicle parked in front
of its owner's residence.
In the event that the Police Department of the
Borough of Pleasant Hills shall determine that an automobile is abandoned
or wrecked on one of its streets in the Borough of Pleasant Hills,
it shall make a diligent effort to ascertain the owner of said automobile.
If said owner is located, the Police Department of the Borough of
Pleasant Hills shall give said owner a period of 24 hours in which
to remove said abandoned or wrecked automobile.
In the event that a known owner of a wrecked
or abandoned automobile fails to remove the same after having been
notified by the Police Department of the Borough of Pleasant Hills
or in the event that the Police Department of the Borough of Pleasant
Hills is unable to ascertain the owner of an abandoned or wrecked
automobile, the Police Department shall then remove or cause to be
removed said automobile to a public storage garage within the Borough
of Pleasant Hills.
[Amended 12-19-2011 by Ord. No. 947]
In the event of a violation of this article concerning abandoned and junked vehicles, the owner(s) of said vehicle(s) shall be responsible for all costs to tow and/or store said vehicle after the notification required by §
360-3 above and the vehicle is removed from the property. In addition to the actual costs, the owner may be subject to a fine of $150 for each violation. Payment of any such fine and the actual costs shall be paid by the owner of the vehicle before the vehicle may be reclaimed. Prior to obtaining possession of the vehicle, the owner must provide proof of ownership, current vehicle registration and insurance as required by the Pennsylvania Motor Vehicle Financial Responsibility Law.
The Borough of Pleasant Hills is hereby authorized
to sell, at public sale, in order to recover the costs due it for
the removal of said automobile, any automobile which has remained
in storage for a period in excess of 30 days. In the event that the
sale price of any automobile should exceed the costs and expenses
of said sale and the costs due the Borough of Pleasant Hills for the
removal of said vehicle, such excess shall be held by the Borough
Treasurer and shall be paid over to the owner of said automobile upon
adequate proof of the ownership of said automobile.
[Adopted 10-15-1984 by Ord. No. 609]
[Amended 7-15-2002 by Ord. No. 808]
The Borough Council of the Borough of Pleasant
Hills hereby declares that the storage of abandoned or junked automobiles
on any property in the Borough of Pleasant Hills is declared unlawful.
For purposes of this article, any automobile without a current license
plate or state inspection which remains on any property for a period
of time in excess of 90 days other than in a completely enclosed building
shall be deemed to be an abandoned or junked automobile.
If it is determined that an abandoned or junked
automobile, as defined in this article, is located on any property
in the Borough of Pleasant Hills, the Building Inspector of the Borough
of Pleasant Hills shall give written notice of this condition to the
owner of the property on which the abandoned or junked automobile
is located. This notice shall require the removal of the abandoned
or junked automobile within a period of 10 days. This notice of removal
shall also contain a statement that if the owner of the property on
which the abandoned or junked automobile is located does not remove
the same within the ten-day period, the Borough of Pleasant Hills
may cause the same to be done and that the costs incurred to remove
the abandoned or junked automobile, together with a penalty of 10%
of such costs, will be collected in the manner provided by law for
the collection of municipal claims or by an action of assumpsit. The
notice will also inform the property owner that the Borough may seek
a bill in equity to compel the removal of the abandoned or junked
automobile.
In the event that the owner of the property
on which the abandoned or junked automobile is located does not remove
the same within the ten-day period, then the Borough of Pleasant Hills,
pursuant to the authorization granted to the Borough of Pleasant Hills
under the provisions of the Borough Code, 53 P.S. § 46201(5),
is authorized to enter upon the property and to remove the abandoned
or junked automobile and to collect the costs thereof, together with
a penalty of 10% of such costs, in the manner provided by law for
the collection of municipal claims or by an action of assumpsit. In
addition to the foregoing remedies, the Borough of Pleasant Hills
is further authorized to seek the removal of the abandoned or junked
automobile by a bill in equity.