[Ord. No. 1838, § 3, 12-16-1999]
As used in this article, the following terms shall mean:
Any unattended motor vehicle, trailer, all-terrain vehicle,
out-board motor or vessel removed or subject to removal from public
or private property as provided in this article, whether or not operational.
Any natural person, corporation, or other legal entity.
The entire width of land between the boundary lines of a
public road or state highway, including any roadway.
That portion of a public road or state highway ordinarily
used for vehicular travel, exclusive of the berm or shoulder.
Any person or entity which tows, removes or stores abandoned
property.
[Ord. No. 1838, § 3, 12-16-1999; Ord. No. 2382 §1, 1-5-2017]
(a)
A person commits the offense of abandoning a vehicle, vessel or trailer
if he or she knowingly abandons any vehicle, vessel or trailer on
the right-of-way of any public road or State highway or on or in any
of the waters in this State or on the banks of any stream, or on any
land or water owned, operated or leased by the State, any board, department,
agency or commission thereof, or any political subdivision thereof
or on any land or water owned, operated or leased by the Federal Government
or on any private real property owned by another without his or her
consent.
(b)
For purposes of this Section, the last owner of record of a vehicle,
vessel or trailer found abandoned and not shown to be transferred
pursuant to Sections 301.196 and 301.197, RSMo., shall be deemed by
prima facie evidence to have been the owner of such vehicle, vessel
or trailer at the time it was abandoned and to have been the person
who abandoned the vehicle, vessel or trailer or caused or procured
its abandonment.
[Ord. No. 1838, § 3, 12-16-1999]
The open storage of inoperable vehicles or other vehicles deemed
by the city to constitute a public safety hazard is prohibited. Nothing
in this subsection shall apply to a vehicle which is completely enclosed
within a locked building or locked fenced area and not visible from
adjacent public or private property, nor to any vehicle upon the property
of a business licensed as salvage, swap, junk dealer, towing or storage
facility so long as the business is operated in compliance with its
business license and the property is in compliance with applicable
zoning ordinances.
[Ord. No. 1838, § 3, 12-16-1999; Ord. No. 2258 § 1, 8-1-2013]
Except in the case of an accident resulting in the injury or
death of any person, the driver of a vehicle which for any reason
obstructs the regular flow of traffic on the roadway of any public
road or state highway shall make every reasonable effort to move the
vehicle or have it moved so as not to block the regular flow of traffic.
Any person who fails to comply with the requirements of this section
is guilty of an ordinance violation and, upon conviction thereof,
shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars ($50.00)
nor more than one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00).
[Ord. No. 1838, § 3, 12-16-1999]
(a)
Any law enforcement officer, or an official of the city where the
city's real property is concerned, may authorize a towing company
to remove to a place of safety:
(1)
Any abandoned property on the right-of-way of any state highway,
or interstate highway or freeway in an urbanized area of the city,
left unattended for ten (10) hours; provided that commercial motor
vehicles not hauling waste designated as hazardous under 49 U.S.C.
5103(a) may only be removed under this section to a place of safety
until the owner or owner's representative has had a reasonable opportunity
to contact a towing company of choice;
(2)
Any unattended abandoned property illegally left standing upon
any highway or bridge if the abandoned property is left in a position
or under such circumstances as to obstruct the normal movement of
traffic where there is no reasonable indication that the person in
control of the property is arranging for its immediate control or
removal;
(3)
Any abandoned property which has been abandoned under section 17-292 of this Code or RSMo. Section 577.080;
(4)
Any abandoned property which has been reported as stolen or
taken without consent of the owner;
(5)
Any abandoned property for which the person operating such property
is arrested for an alleged offense for which the officer is required
to take the person into custody and where such person is unable to
arrange for the property's timely removal;
(6)
Any abandoned property which due to any other state law or city
ordinance is subject to towing because of the owners' outstanding
traffic or parking violations;
(7)
Any abandoned property left unattended in violation of a state
law or city ordinance where signs have been posted giving notice of
the law or where the violation causes a safety hazard.
(b)
When the city police department authorizes a tow pursuant to this
section in which the abandoned property is moved from the immediate
vicinity it shall complete a crime inquiry and inspection report.
(c)
Any city agency other than the city police department authorizing
a tow under this section where property is towed away from the immediate
vicinity shall report the tow to the city police department within
two (2) hours of the tow, along with a crime inquiry and inspection
report.
[Ord. No. 1838, § 3, 12-16-1999]
(a)
Generally: The city, including the city police department, may tow motor vehicles from real property which are deemed a public safety hazard pursuant to section 17-293, or are derelict, junk, scrapped, disassembled, or otherwise harmful to the public health. The city shall perform such tow pursuant to the terms of section 17-297. When a city agency other than the police department authorizes a tow under this subsection, it shall report the tow to the police department within two (2) hours with a crime inquiry and inspection report.
(b)
Towing authorized by city police department: If
a person abandons property on any real property owned by another without
the consent of the owner or person in possession of the real property,
at the request of the person in possession of the real property, any
city police officer may authorize a towing company to remove such
abandoned property from the property in the following circumstances:
(c)
Towing authorized by real property owner, lessee, or property
or security manager:
(1)
The owner of real property or lessee in lawful possession of
the real property or the property or security manager of the real
property may authorize a towing company to remove abandoned property
or property parked in a restricted or assigned area without authorization
by a law enforcement officer only when the owner, lessee or property
or security manager of the real property is present. A property or
security manager must be a full-time employee of a business entity.
An authorization to tow pursuant to this subsection may be made only
under any of the following circumstances:
a.
Sign: There is displayed, in plain view at
all entrances to the property, a sign not less than seventeen (17)
by twenty-two (22) inches in size, with lettering not less than one
inch in height, prohibiting public parking and indicating that unauthorized
abandoned property or property parked in a restricted or assigned
area will be removed at the owner's expense, disclosing the maximum
fee for all charges related to towing and storage, and containing
the telephone number of the local traffic law enforcement agency where
information can be obtained or a twenty-four (24) hour staffed emergency
information telephone number by which the owner of the abandoned property
or property parked in a restricted or assigned area may call to receive
information regarding the location of such owner's property;
b.
Unattended on owner-occupied residential property: The abandoned property is left unattended on owner occupied residential
property with four residential units or less and the owner, lessee,
or agent of the real property in lawful possession has notified the
city police department and ten (10) hours have elapsed since that
notification; or
c.
Unattended on other private real property: The
abandoned property is left unattended on private real property, and
the owner, lessee or agent of the real property in lawful possession
of real property has notified the city police department, and ninety-six
(96) hours have elapsed since that notification.
(2)
Pursuant to this section, any owner or lessee in lawful possession
of real property that requests a towing company to tow abandoned property
without authorization from a city police officer shall at that time
complete an abandoned property report which shall be considered a
legal declaration subject to criminal penalty pursuant to RSMo. Section
575.060. The report shall be in the form designed, printed and distributed
by the Missouri Director of Revenue and shall contain the following:
a.
The year, model, make and abandoned property identification
number of the property, and the owner and any lienholders, if known;
b.
A description of any damage to the abandoned property noted
by owner, lessee or property or security manager in possession of
the real property;
c.
The license plate or registration number and the state of issuance,
if available;
d.
The physical location of the property and the reason for requesting
the property to be towed;
e.
The date the report is completed;
f.
The printed name, address and telephone number of the owner,
lessee or property or security manager in possession of the real property;
g.
The towing company's name and address;
h.
The signature of the towing operator;
i.
The signature of the owner, lessee or property or security manager
attesting to the facts that the property has been abandoned for the
time required by this section and that all statements on the report
are true and correct to the best of the person's knowledge and belief
and that the person is subject to the penalties for making false statements;
j.
Space for the name of the law enforcement agency notified of
the abandoned property and for the signature of the law enforcement
official receiving the report; and
k.
Any additional information the Missouri Director of Revenue
deems appropriate.
(3)
Any towing company which tows abandoned property without authorization
from the city police department pursuant to subsection (b) of this
section shall deliver a copy of the abandoned property report to the
city police department. The copy may be produced and sent by facsimile
machine or other device which produces a near exact likeness of the
print and signatures required, but only if the city police department
has the technological capability of receiving such copy and has registered
the towing company for such purpose. The report shall be delivered
within two (2) hours if the tow was made from a signed location pursuant
to subsection (c)(1)(a) of this section, otherwise the report shall
be delivered within twenty-four (24) hours.
(4)
The city police department, after receiving such abandoned property
report, shall record the date on which the abandoned property report
is filed with the police department and shall promptly make an inquiry
into the national crime information center (NCIC) and any statewide
Missouri law enforcement computer system to determine if the abandoned
property has been reported as stolen. The police department shall
enter the information pertaining to the towed property into the statewide
law enforcement computer system and a police officer shall sign the
abandoned property report and provide the towing company with a signed
copy.
(5)
The city police department, after receiving notification that
abandoned property has been towed by a towing company, shall search
the records of the Missouri Department of Revenue and provide the
towing company with the latest owner and lienholder information on
the abandoned property. If the abandoned property is not claimed within
ten (10) working days, the towing company shall send a copy of the
abandoned property report signed by a law enforcement officer to the
department of revenue.
(6)
No owner, lessee, or property or security manager of real property
shall knowingly authorize the removal of abandoned property in violation
of this section.
(7)
Any owner of any private real property causing the removal of
abandoned property from that real property shall state the grounds
for the removal of the abandoned property if requested by the registered
owner of that abandoned property. Any towing company that lawfully
removes abandoned property from private property with the written
authorization of the property owner or the property owner's agent
who is present at the time of removal shall not be held responsible
in any situation relating to the validity of the removal. Any towing
company that removes abandoned property at the direction of the landowner
shall be responsible for:
(d)
Damage to property. The owner of abandoned property
removed from private real property may recover for any damage to the
property resulting from any act of any person causing the removal
of, or removing, the abandoned property.
(e)
Real property owner liability. Any owner of any
private real property causing the removal of abandoned property parked
on that property is liable to the owner of the abandoned property
for double the storage or towing charges whenever there has been a
failure to comply with the requirements of this article.
(f)
Written authorization required; delegation of authority to
tow.
(1)
Except for the removal of abandoned property authorized by the
city police department pursuant to this section, a towing company
shall not remove or commence the removal of abandoned property from
private real property without first obtaining written authorization
from the real property owner. All written authorizations shall be
maintained for at least one (1) year by the towing company.
(2)
General authorization to remove or commence removal of abandoned
property at the towing company's discretion shall not be delegated
to a towing company or its affiliates except in the case of abandoned
property unlawfully parked within fifteen (15) feet of a fire hydrant
or in a fire lane designated by a fire department or the state fire
marshal.
(g)
Towing company liability. Any towing company, or any affiliate of a towing company, which removes, or commences removal of, abandoned property from private property without first obtaining written authorization from the property owner or lessee, or any employee or agent thereof, who is present at the time of removal or commencement of the removal, except as permitted in subsection (f) of this section, is liable to the owner of the property for four (4) times the amount of the towing and storage charges, in addition to any applicable ordinance violation penalty, for a violation of this section.
[Ord. No. 1838, § 3, 12-16-1999]
(a)
Payment of charges. The owner of abandoned property removed as provided in this article shall be responsible for payment of all reasonable charges for towing and storage of such abandoned property as provided in section 17-298.
(b)
Crime inquiry and inspection report. Upon the towing of any abandoned property pursuant to section 17-295 or under authority of a law enforcement officer or local government agency pursuant to section 17-296, the city police department, where it authorized such towing or was properly notified by another government agency of such towing, shall promptly make an inquiry with the national crime information center (NCIC) and any statewide Missouri law enforcement computer system to determine if the abandoned property has been reported as stolen and shall enter the information pertaining to the towed property into the statewide law enforcement computer system.
If the abandoned property is not claimed within ten (10) working
days of the towing, the city police department shall submit a crime
inquiry and inspection report to the Missouri Director of Revenue.
The city police department shall also provide one copy of the report
to the storage facility and one copy to the towing company. A towing
company in possession of abandoned property after ten (10) working
days shall report such fact to the city police department. The crime
inquiry and inspection report shall be designed by the director of
revenue and shall include the following:
(1)
The year, model, make and property identification number of
the property and the owner and any lienholders, if known;
(2)
A description of any damage to the property noted by the law
enforcement officer authorizing the tow;
(3)
The license plate or registration number and the state of issuance,
if available;
(4)
The storage location of the towed property;
(5)
The name, telephone number and address of the towing company;
(6)
The date, place and reason for the towing of the abandoned property;
(7)
The date of the inquiry of the national crime information center,
any statewide Missouri law enforcement computer system, and any other
similar system which has titling and registration information to determine
if the abandoned property had been stolen. This information shall
be entered only by the city police department;
(8)
The signature and printed name of the law enforcement officer
authorizing the tow and the towing operator; and
(9)
Any additional information the Missouri Director of Revenue
deems appropriate.
(c)
Reclaiming property. The owner of such abandoned
property, or the holder of a valid security interest of record, may
reclaim it from the towing company upon proof of ownership or valid
security interest of record and payment of all reasonable charges
for the towing and storage of the abandoned property.
(d)
Lienholder repossession. If a lienholder repossesses
any motor vehicle, trailer, all-terrain vehicle, outboard motor or
vessel without the knowledge or cooperation of the owner, then the
repossessor shall notify the city police department within two (2)
hours of the repossession and shall further provide the police department
with any additional information the police department deems appropriate.
The city police department shall make an inquiry with the national
crime information center and the Missouri statewide law enforcement
computer system and shall enter the repossessed vehicle into the statewide
law enforcement computer system.
(e)
Notice to owner/tow lien claim. Any towing company
which comes into possession of abandoned property pursuant to this
article and who claims a lien for recovering, towing or storing abandoned
property shall give notice to the title owner and to all persons claiming
a lien thereon, as disclosed by the records of the Missouri Department
of Revenue or of a corresponding agency in any other state. The towing
company shall notify the owner and any lienholder within ten (10)
business days of the date of mailing indicated on the notice sent
by the Missouri Department of Revenue pursuant to RSMo. Section 304.156,
by certified mail, return receipt requested. The notice shall contain
the following:
(1)
The name, address and telephone number of the storage facility;
(2)
The date, reason and place from which the abandoned property
was removed;
(3)
A statement that the amount of the accrued towing, storage and
administrative costs are the responsibility of the owner, and that
storage and/or administrative costs will continue to accrue as a legal
liability of the owner until the abandoned property is redeemed;
(4)
A statement that the storage firm claims a possessory lien for
all such charges;
(5)
A statement that the owner or holder of a valid security interest
of record may retake possession of the abandoned property at any time
during business hours by proving ownership or rights to a secured
interest and paying all towing and storage charges;
(6)
A statement that, should the owner consider that the towing
or removal was improper or not legally justified, the owner has a
right to request a hearing as provided in this section to contest
the propriety of such towing or removal;
(7)
A statement that if the abandoned property remains unclaimed
for thirty (30) days from the date of mailing the notice, title to
the abandoned property will be transferred to the person or firm in
possession of the abandoned property free of all prior liens; and
(8)
A statement that any charges in excess of the value of the abandoned
property at the time of such transfer shall remain a liability of
the owner.
(f)
Physical search of property. In the event that the
Missouri Department of Revenue notifies the towing company that the
records of the department of revenue fail to disclose the name of
the owner or any lienholder of record, the towing company shall attempt
to locate documents or other evidence of ownership on or within the
abandoned property itself. The towing company must certify that a
physical search of the abandoned property disclosed no ownership documents
were found and a good faith effort has been made. For purposes of
this section, "good faith effort" means that the following checks
have been performed by the company to establish the prior state of
registration and title:
(1)
Check of the abandoned property for any type of license plates,
license plate record, temporary permit, inspection sticker, decal
or other evidence which may indicate a state of possible registration
and title;
(2)
Check the law enforcement report for a license plate number
or registration number if the abandoned property was towed at the
request of a law enforcement agency;
(3)
Check the tow ticket/report of the tow truck operator to see
if a license plate was on the abandoned property at the beginning
of the tow, if a private tow; and
(4)
If there is no address of the owner on the impound report, check
the law enforcement report to see if an out-of-state address is indicated
on the driver license information.
(g)
Petition in circuit court. The owner of the abandoned property removed pursuant to this article or any person claiming a lien, other than the towing company, within ten (10) days after the receipt of notification from the towing company pursuant to subsection (e) of this section may file a petition in the associate circuit court in the county where the abandoned property is stored to determine if the abandoned property was wrongfully taken or withheld from the owner. The petition shall name the towing company among the defendants. The petition may also name the agency ordering the tow or the owner, lessee or agent of the real property from which the abandoned property was removed. The Missouri Director of Revenue shall not be a party to such petition but a copy of the petition shall be served on the director of revenue.
(h)
Notice to owner. Notice as to the removal of any
abandoned property pursuant to this article shall be made in writing
within five (5) working days to the registered owner and any lienholder
of the fact of the removal, the grounds for the removal, and the place
to which the property has been removed by either:
(1)
The public agency authorizing the removal; or
(2)
The towing company, where authorization was made by an owner
or lessee of real property.
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If the abandoned property is stored in any storage facility,
a copy of the notice shall be given to the operator of the facility.
The notice provided for in this section shall include the amount of
mileage if available shown on the abandoned property at the time of
removal.
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(i)
Tow truck requirements. Any towing company which
tows abandoned property for hire shall have the towing company's name,
city and state clearly printed in letters at least three (3) inches
in height on the sides of the truck, wrecker or other vehicle used
in the towing.
(j)
Storage facilities. Persons operating or in charge
of any storage facility where the abandoned property is stored pursuant
to this article shall accept cash for payment of towing and storage
by a registered owner or the owner's agent claiming the abandoned
property.
[Ord. No. 1838, § 3, 12-16-1999]
(a)
A towing company may only assess reasonable storage charges for abandoned
property towed without the consent of the owner. Reasonable storage
charges shall not exceed the charges for vehicles which have been
towed with the consent of the owner on a negotiated basis, storage
charges may be assessed only for the time in which the towing company
complies with the procedural requirements of this article.
(b)
The board of aldermen may from time to time establish maximum reasonable towing, storage and other charges which can be imposed by towing and storage companies operating within the city, and which are consistent with this article and with RSMo. Sections 304.155 to 304.158. Any violation of said established maximum charges shall be deemed a violation of this section of the Code and shall be punishable pursuant to section 1-10.
(c)
A towing company may impose a charge of not more than one-half (½)
of the regular towing charge for the towing of abandoned property
at the request of the owner of private real property or that owner's
agent pursuant to this article if the owner of the abandoned property
or the owner's agent returns to the abandoned property before it is
removed from the private real property. The regular towing charge
may only be imposed after the abandoned property has been removed
from the property and is in transit.
[Ord. No. 1838, § 3, 12-16-1999]
When the city has physical possession of the abandoned property,
it may sell the abandoned property in accordance with its established
provisions and regulations and may transfer ownership by means of
a bill of sale signed by the city clerk and sealed with the official
city seal. Such bill of sale shall contain the make and model of the
abandoned property, the complete abandoned property identification
number and the odometer reading of the abandoned property if available
and shall be lawful proof of ownership for any dealer registered under
the provisions of RSMo. Section 301.218 or RSMo. Section 301.560,
or for any other person.
