ABANDONED PROPERTY
Any unattended motor vehicle, trailer, all-terrain vehicle, outboard motor or vessel whether or not operational, within the City of Wright City, situated, parked, kept, or stored upon any public or private property, that is removed or subject to removal pursuant to the provisions of this Chapter or §§ 304.155 through 304.159, RSMo.
DERELICT VEHICLE
Any inoperative, unlicensed, partially or fully dismantled, wrecked, or junked motor vehicle, trailer, all-terrain vehicle, or vessel situated, parked, kept, or stored upon any private property, with or without the consent of the property owner.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
As used in this Chapter, Law Enforcement shall mean the Wright City Police Department or any other law enforcement personnel lawfully acting within the City of Wright City.
MOTOR VEHICLE
See § 300.010 of this Code.
RIGHT-OF-WAY
The surface and space on, above, and below every municipal street, alley, road, highway, lane, or similar area in which the City has an ownership interest or right of management, and including such adjacent areas within such public ways within the City control, except as may be limited herein or by applicable law. "Right-of-way" shall not include public property owned or leased by the City and not intended for rights-of-way use including, but not limited to, City Hall property, parks, or public works facilities.
ROAD, STREET, HIGHWAY, ALLEY, or PUBLIC WAY
The entire width of a road, street, highway, or alley, and including all public right of way thereof, which is open to the public for pedestrian or vehicular traffic.
A. 
The presence of abandoned property or derelict vehicles, as those terms are defined in this Chapter shall be, and is hereby declared to be, unlawful within the City of Wright City subject to limited exemptions provided in this Chapter. Further, the presence of a derelict vehicle upon real property shall be considered and is hereby declared a public nuisance pursuant to Chapter 215 of the Municipal Code of the City of Wright City.
B. 
Pursuant to the authority provided in Section 304.159, RSMo., the City of Wright City does hereby determine and deem abandoned property and derelict vehicles to constitute a public safety hazard and, as such, prohibits the storage of abandoned property and/or derelict vehicles within the City of Wright City. Nothing in this subsection shall apply to a motor 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 motor 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 issued by the City of Wright City and the property is in compliance with applicable zoning ordinances of the City of Wright City.
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:
1. 
The right-of-way of any public road or State highway;
2. 
On or in any of the waters in this State;
3. 
On the banks of any stream;
4. 
On any land or water owned, operated or leased by the State, any board, department, agency or commission thereof, or any political subdivision thereof;
5. 
On any land or water owned, operated or leased by the Federal government; or
6. 
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 prima facie evidence of ownership of such vehicle, vessel, or trailer at the time it was abandoned and the person who abandoned the vehicle, vessel, or trailer or caused or procured its abandonment. The registered owner of the abandoned vehicle, vessel, or trailer shall not be subject to the penalties provided by this Section if the vehicle, vessel, or trailer was in the care, custody, or control of another person at the time of the violation. In such instance, the owner shall submit such evidence in an affidavit permitted by the court setting forth the name, address, and other pertinent information of the person who leased, rented, or otherwise had care, custody, or control of the vehicle, vessel, or trailer at the time of the alleged violation. The affidavit submitted pursuant to this Subsection shall be admissible in a court proceeding adjudicating the alleged violation and shall raise a rebuttable presumption that the person identified in the affidavit was in actual control of the vehicle, vessel, or trailer. In such case, the court has the authority to terminate the prosecution of the summons issued to the owner and issue a summons to the person identified in the affidavit as the operator. If the vehicle, vessel, or trailer is alleged to have been stolen, the owner of the vehicle, vessel, or trailer shall submit proof that a police report was filed in a timely manner indicating that the vehicle or vessel was stolen at the time of the alleged violation.
C. 
The offense of abandoning a vehicle, vessel, or trailer is an ordinance violation.
D. 
Any person convicted pursuant to this Section shall be civilly liable for all reasonable towing, storage, and administrative costs associated with the abandonment of the vehicle, vessel, or trailer. Any reasonable towing, storage, and administrative costs in excess of the value of the abandoned vehicle, vessel, or trailer that exist at the time the property is transferred pursuant to Section 304.156, RSMo., shall remain the liability of the person convicted pursuant to this Section so long as the towing company, as defined in Chapter 304, RSMo., provided the title owner and lienholders, as ascertained by the Department of Revenue records, a notice within the time frame and in the form as described in Subsection (1) of Section 304.156, RSMo..
When the presence of abandoned property or one (1) or more derelict vehicles within the City of Wright City constitutes, in the discretion of Law Enforcement or a City of Wright City Official, an immediate threat or hazard to the health, safety, or general welfare of any person, such motor vehicle may be caused to be removed by Law Enforcement without any notice to the vehicle or property owner to the nearest garage or other place of safety that will abate such immediate threat or hazard. Law Enforcement may engage a private hauling or towing business to so remove such abandoned property or derelict vehicle(s).
A. 
Any Law Enforcement towing or authorizing a tow pursuant to this Chapter shall complete a crime inquiry and inspection report.
B. 
Any Official of the City of Wright City authorizing a tow under this Chapter where such abandoned property is towed away from the immediate vicinity shall report the tow to the City of Wright City Police Department within two (2) hours of the tow, along with a crime inquiry and inspection report.
C. 
Upon the towing of abandoned property or derelict vehicles pursuant to this Chapter, Law Enforcement authorizing such towing, or which 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 or derelict vehicle 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 tower who has online access to the Department of Revenue's records shall make an inquiry to determine the abandoned property owner and lienholder, if any, of record. In the event that the records of the Department of Revenue fail to disclose the name of the owner or any lienholder of record, the tower shall comply with the requirements of Subsection (3) of Section 304.156, RSMo. If the tower does not have online access, the Law Enforcement shall submit a crime inquiry and inspection report to the Director of Revenue. Law Enforcement shall also provide one (1) copy of the report to the storage facility and one (1) copy to the towing company. A towing company that does not have online access to the Department of Revenue's records and that is in possession of abandoned property after ten (10) working days shall report such fact to Law Enforcement.
D. 
Notice as to the removal of any abandoned property or derelict vehicle(s) removed pursuant to this Chapter shall be made in writing within five (5) working days to the registered owner and any lienholder, if such owner and/or lienholder are known, of the fact of the removal, the grounds for the removal, and the place to which the property has been removed by either the public agency authorizing the removal, or the towing company where authorization was made by an owner or lessee or real property. If the abandoned property or derelict vehicle(s) 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 or derelict vehicle(s) at the time of removal.
A. 
The owner, any verified legal representative of the owner, or the verified holder of a valid security interest of record, of any abandoned property or derelict vehicle removed pursuant to this Chapter may reclaim it from the privately-operated garage or facility upon proof of ownership or valid security interest of record and payment of all reasonable charges for the towing and storage of such abandoned property or derelict vehicle.
B. 
It shall be unlawful, and is hereby declared to be a violation of this Chapter, in addition to any associated violation of State or Federal law, for any person to retrieve or take any abandoned property or derelict vehicle removed pursuant to this Chapter without complete payment of all incurred reasonable charges for the towing and storage of such vehicle.