Town of Coventry, RI Chapter 234 Vehicles, Junked and Abandoned

[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of the Town of Coventry 11-12-1991 by Ord. No. 9-91-0181 as Ch. 17, Art. V, of the 1991 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]

GENERAL REFERENCES

Vehicles and traffic — See Ch. 231.

Article I Definitions; Removal

§ 234-1 Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

DISMANTLED, JUNKED OR ABANDONED VEHICLES

Includes major parts of vehicles, including bodies, engines, transmissions, rear ends and the like.

A. Such term shall not include:

(1) Unregistered seasonal farm vehicles operated by the owner of the vehicle on his own property.

(2) Vehicles which are purchased for purposes of restoration and which comply with the definition of antique vehicles as set out in R.I.G.L. § 31-1-3.

B. Any unregistered vehicle on premises not owned or occupied by the owner of the vehicle may be deemed to be abandoned for the purposes of this chapter.

PREMISES

Includes public or private property, Town streets and public highways.

PUBLIC PROPERTY

Includes property owned by the Town or state, property acquired by the Town at tax sales, and all streets and highways within the Town, whether or not they are public highways.

VEHICLE LEGALLY OR PHYSICALLY INCAPABLE OF BEING OPERATED

A vehicle which has not been duly registered according to law or which lacks the equipment in good operating condition as required by law to enable it to be registered.

§ 234-2 Removal of unlawfully stored vehicles.

A. Vehicles on private property.

(1) The owner of any vehicle kept, stored or located in violation of § 234-3 shall remove the vehicle within seven days after being ordered so to do in writing by the owner, lessee or occupant of the premises where such vehicle is found. If the owner of the vehicle is not known or cannot readily be ascertained, notice to remove may be given by attaching such notice to the vehicle. The Police Department, upon request therefor, shall assist in ascertaining the name and address of the owner of any such vehicle.

(2) If the owner of any vehicle found in violation of § 234-3 is also the owner, lessee or occupant of the premises where the vehicle is found, notice to remove the vehicle shall be by the Police Department in the manner set out in Subsection A(1) of this section.

B. Vehicles on public streets. If a vehicle is on a Town street or public highway in violation of § 234-3, forty-eight-hour notice to remove the vehicle shall be given by the Police Department in the manner set out in Subsection A(1) of this section, provided that, if the vehicle constitutes a present hazard or unduly obstructs traffic or ingress to or egress from private or public property, the vehicle may be removed by the Police Department without any prior notice.

C. Penalty for failure to remove. Any person who shall violate the provisions of § 234-3 after notice as provided in this section shall, upon conviction, be fined not more than $50 for each offense. Each day the violation shall continue shall be deemed a separate and distinct offense.

Article II License for Open Storage

§ 234-3 Required.

No person shall deposit, store, keep or permit to be deposited, stored or kept in the open, upon public or private property, a dismantled, unserviceable, junked or abandoned vehicle or a vehicle legally or physically incapable of being operated, unless a license for such storage has been obtained from the Building Inspector.

§ 234-4 Issuance.

A. Licenses required by this article shall be issued in writing, without fee, through the office of the Town Building Inspector, upon application by the owner of the vehicle. Such licenses shall be issued to the owner of the following vehicles:

(1) Vehicles in legal operating condition which are temporarily unregistered.

(2) Unregistered vehicles in legal operating condition which are being stored on private property by persons serving in the military forces of the United States.

(3) Vehicles stored on private property by a person repairing such vehicles for profit, if such person is permitted to conduct such business by the Zoning Ordinance of the Town.

B. In addition to the vehicles listed in Subsection A of this section, a license may be issued under this article for one vehicle temporarily stored on the premises for purposes of cannibalization, provided that, if the reclamation of all usable parts is completed prior to the expiration of the license, the remainder of the vehicle shall be promptly removed from the premises. The owner of a vehicle shall be eligible for a license under this subsection only if the parts removed from the vehicle are stored out of sight.

C. The Town Building Inspector's authority shall not be limited solely to the causes set out in Subsections A and B of this section, but he shall have authority to issue licenses under this article for other causes in his discretion. Licenses issued by the Building Inspector for causes other than those delineated in Subsections A and B of this section shall be issued only upon written application by the owner of the vehicle setting out those causes which entitle him to such a license.

§ 234-5 Term.

A license issued under this article shall be valid for a period of 30 days. Such a license may be extended for one additional thirty-day period by the Building Inspector upon a showing of good cause by the owner of the vehicle covered by the license.

§ 234-6 Appeal from denial.

Any appeal from a decision of the Building Inspector declining a request for a license under the provisions of this article shall be submitted to the Town Council in writing within 10 days of the declination of the license by the Building Inspector.