[HISTORY: Adopted by the Mayor and Council of the Town of Snow Hill 11-5-1974
as Ord. No. 87. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Amended 10-13-1987 by Ord. No. 153]
The placing of or permissive or voluntary maintenance of any abandoned,
unlicensed or inoperable motor vehicle or unused part or parts thereof upon
any private property in any residential area in the Town of Snow Hill is hereby
declared a nuisance, except when housed inside a building, garage or other
enclosure or when properly covered with a properly maintained commercially
manufactured vehicle cover so that access and view is restricted from adjoining
property and from adjacent public streets.
[Amended 7-10-1984 by Ord. No. 137[1]]
Any owner or tenant of any property in any residential area of said
Town of Snow Hill, upon receiving the form of notice herein prescribed or
on whose said property owned or occupied has been posted said form of notice,
who shall fail to remove or cause to be removed within the time limit therefor
in said notice such abandoned, unlicensed or inoperable motor vehicle or unused
part or parts thereof to the public dump or other places where the same may
be lawfully stored or maintained shall be guilty of a municipal infraction
and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than
four hundred dollars ($400.) for each offense, and each day following the
expiration of the time set forth in said notice that said nuisance shall continue
shall be considered a separate offense.
Upon discovering the existence of a nuisance as defined by § 182-1 of this chapter, a member of the Police Department of the Town of Snow Hill shall deliver to the owner or tenant of any property on which said nuisance is being maintained [or to an owner or tenant if there is more than one (1)] or post upon the premises where such nuisance is found to exist a written notice over the name of the Police Department in substantially the following form, namely: "To the owner or tenant of the premises at or adjacent to No. ....., ................. Street in Snow Hill, Maryland: There is observed upon said premises an abandoned, unlicensed or inoperable motor vehicle or unused part or parts thereof (strike out words not applicable) contrary to Chapter 182 of the Code of the Town of Snow Hill. You are hereby notified to remove said motor vehicle or part or parts to the public dump or other place where the same may lawfully be stored or maintained on or before the ..... day of ............., next." Such notice may allow not more than seven (7) days for the removal mentioned.
In addition to or in substitution for the procedure in § 182-2 hereof, the following procedure may be followed: Upon the expiration of the notice prescribed by § 182-3 hereof, if any abandoned, unlicensed or inoperable motor vehicle or unused part or parts thereof remain upon the premises in violation of this notice, the agent or agents of the town shall enter upon said premises with such force and with such vehicle or vehicles or apparatus as may be deemed necessary and remove the offending vehicle or vehicles and/or unused part or parts thereof to an open storage area maintained or provided by the town, and thereafter, following at least fifteen (15) days of public notice in some newspaper published in Worcester County, Maryland, and having a substantial circulation in Snow Hill, said vehicle or vehicles and/or unused part or parts thereof may be sold at public auction and the proceeds of sale applied to the cost and expense of removal, towing, storage, advertising and sale and the balance paid over to the owner of the property sold after proof of ownership; provided, however, that pending any such sale the owner of such property, upon proof of ownership, may repossess the property upon paying all costs to the town for removing, towing, storage, advertising and other costs incurred prior to any such sale.
[Added 10-13-1987 by Ord. No. 153[1]]
An application may be made to the Mayor and Council for a permit allowing a property owner or occupant to maintain a vehicle not conforming with the requirements of § 182-1 of this chapter for a period of up to one hundred twenty (120) days. Permits shall be granted only for good cause (such as restoration or repair) and shall be granted for a specific time and not be extended nor renewed. The cost of the permit shall be one hundred dollars ($100.) and once granted must be displayed upon the vehicle in a conspicuous place. Only one (1) permit per property per year shall be allowed.
