[HISTORY: Adopted by the City Council of Orange Township 7-6-1999. Amendments noted where applicable.]
ABANDONED VEHICLE
Any motor vehicle whose owner has terminated the use and care of such motor vehicle and has left the same on open lands and has either:
A. 
Indicated by his words or actions an intent to leave the same and no longer claims ownership thereof, or
B. 
Left the same without making arrangements for the storage with the owner or occupant of the premises on which it is located, for a period of at least thirty (30) days, subject to Section 198-4, below.
MOTOR VEHICLE
Any vehicle designed to be propelled other than by muscular power, excepting such vehicles as run only upon rails or tracks, and as used in this chapter, such term shall also include any parts of a motor vehicle and any such vehicle whether or not the same, by reason of its present condition, is still capable of self-propulsion.
No person shall abandon or permit the abandonment on public or private property, within the city, of any motor vehicle owned by him or under his control or in his possession at the time of abandonment, or, except as provided in this chapter, cause any abandoned vehicle or motor vehicle in a state of substantial disrepair to be stored in the open.
Any person who owns or has control of any premises and finds a motor vehicle left on his property without his knowledge, acquiescence or consent, where the owner of such vehicle has failed or refused to remove the same or the owner is unknown, shall promptly notify the Police Director of the year, model and make of such vehicle, and if known or ascertainable, the registration, license, serial number and ownership thereof, with such further and additional information as the Police Director may request to ascertain whether or not the same has been abandoned. The Police Director shall take such further and additional steps as may be necessary to determine whether same is an abandoned vehicle within the meaning of N.J.S.A. 39:4-56.5, and if the same is, shall proceed to take possession thereof and thereafter dispose of the same pursuant to N.J.S.A. 39:10A-1, the regulations of the Division of Motor Vehicles and any other provisions of law pertinent thereto.
Upon written notice of a violation of this chapter by either the Director of Property Maintenance or the Police Director, or their designees, the owner of the property or the person having possession and control thereof shall:
A. 
If he is the owner of such motor vehicle or has possession and control of same, promptly abate the subject violation; or
B. 
Promptly request by way of United States certified mail, return receipt requested, that the owner of such motor vehicle remove it within fifteen (15) days of the receipt of such request. If, however, the owner of such motor vehicle has received the written request but fails to respond or cannot be located, then the owner of the property or the person having possession and control thereof shall proceed in accordance with Section 198-4, above.
Any person owning or having possession or control of premises on which an abandoned vehicle shall be situate and who fails to remove such vehicle in accordance with the re-quest made by the Police Director or Director of Property Maintenance, or their designees, pursuant to this chapter or other city ordinances shall:
A. 
Furnish, by affidavit or otherwise to such representative of the city, all information relating to such motor vehicle, and
B. 
Permit access to his property by such representative of the city for the purpose of examining or removing such motor vehicle.
Where the existence of a motor vehicle, on public or private property, shall be an immediate hazard requiring prompt abatement to protect the public safety and shall thereby constitute a nuisance, the Police Director may, on short notice or without notice, if notice is not feasible, cause the same to be removed and held for a period of at least fifteen (15) days. The Police Director shall thereupon notify the owner of such vehicle, if known, by registered mail, of the location thereof and of the right of the owner to secure return of possession of such motor vehicle upon payment of the cost of removal and storage. If, however, the owner of such motor vehicle fails to respond to the aforementioned notice, then such vehicle can be disposed of in accordance with N.J.S.A. 39:10A-1. Nothing herein shall be construed to provide the owner with a defense against any violation of this chapter.
No motor vehicle in such a state of disrepair that it is unsightly and incapable of locomotion under its own power shall be stored or kept in the open and exposed to public view from the streets or adjoining property. However, motor vehicles in a temporary state of disrepair shall be permitted to remain for a period not exceeding ten (10) days, provided the same are not abandoned vehicles, as defined in this chapter. Nothing in this chapter shall prohibit the storage of abandoned vehicles or motor vehicles in disrepair in junkyards, permitted under Chapter 116, Junk and Junkyards, of the Orange Township City Code.
Violators of any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.) and the reimbursement of the costs of removal and storage of the abandoned vehicle or imprisonment for not more than ninety (90) days, or both.