[HISTORY: Adopted by the County Commissioners of Caroline County:
Art. I, 5-21-1991 as Ord. No. 91-002.
Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 5-21-1991 as Ord. No. 91-002]
As used in this Article, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
The County Commissioners of Caroline County, Maryland.
Any state or County police officer or any person appointed by the
County to enforce these regulations.
Any automobile, truck, motorcycle, boat, boat trailer or recreational
vehicle.
A.
All vehicles shall be parked within the perimeters designated
on the Choptank Marina Plat showing the permitted parking areas, which is
intended to be recorded among the plat records of Caroline County, Maryland.
B.
In addition to Choptank Marina proper, these parking
regulations shall apply to both shoulders of the road bordering Water Street.
The County shall designate no-parking zones as it deems reasonable, by placing
signs along the road.
C.
No vehicle shall stop in any area within the confines
of Choptank Marina so as to hinder or delay traffic or passage.
D.
No person shall stop, park or leave standing on the roadway
any vehicle, whether attended or unattended, if it is practical to stop, park
or leave the vehicle standing off the roadway.
E.
Vehicles shall not constitute a hazard to the safety
of any person or property within Choptank Marina.
F.
These provisions do not apply to a vehicle that has become
disabled while on the roadway so that the operator cannot avoid stopping or
temporarily leaving the vehicle.
G.
Bicycles shall be permitted only in approved areas designated
by the County.
Violations of any section of this Article may be enforced by any state
or County police officer or by any person appointed by the County to enforce
this Article.
A.
Fine for parking violations.
(1)
The County may adopt, by resolution, a schedule of fines,
which may be amended from time to time.
(2)
The enforcement officer shall attach to a vehicle found
to be in violation a notice to the owner thereof that the vehicle has been
in violation of these regulations and instructing the owner of the amount
of the fine and the right to protest the violation.
(3)
The owner shall have the right to pay the designated
fine in full satisfaction of the violation as hereinafter provided. In the
alternative, an owner shall have the right to notify the appropriate office,
as designated on the citation, of his/her intention to protest the fine, after
which the owner shall be given notice of the date and time of hearing before
a Hearing Officer appointed by the County. Payment of the fine shall be postponed
pending the outcome of the hearing.
B.
Removal and impoundment of vehicles; charges.
(1)
Vehicles may be removed and impounded if, in the opinion
of an authorized enforcement officer, the vehicle is a hazard to the safety
of any person or property within Choptank Marina, or in the event that the
vehicle has been improperly parked for a period of at least 48 hours.
(2)
Such vehicle shall be removed to any location designated
from time to time by the County as an approved impoundment area.
(3)
The County shall adopt, by resolution, a schedule of
removal and impoundment charges which may be amended from time to time.
(4)
All removal and impoundment charges must be paid prior
to releasing the vehicle to the owner or owner's agent.
(5)
Within 24 hours after the vehicle has been removed, notice
of that fact shall be sent by first-class mail to the owner of record of the
vehicle. The notice shall designate the place from which the vehicle was removed,
the reason for its removal and impoundment, and the pound in which it is being
stored.
(6)
The enforcement officer shall keep a record of all vehicles
impounded and shall at all reasonable times furnish the owner or agent of
the owner thereof with information as to the location of such vehicles.
(7)
The payment of any removal and impoundment charges shall,
unless such payment has been made under protest, be final and conclusive and
shall constitute a waiver of any right to recover the money so paid.
(8)
In the event that any removal and impoundment
charges so imposed shall be paid under protest, the owner shall be entitled
to a hearing before a Hearing Officer appointed by the County, in which case
the owner shall be proceeded against and shall receive such notice as provided
by the motor vehicle laws for the State of Maryland.
(9)
The payment of removal and impoundment charges shall
not relieve the owner or operator of any vehicles from liability for any fine
or penalty on account of the reasons the vehicle was removed and impounded.
(10)
No vehicle shall be moved under this authority if, at
the time of the intended removal, the owner or agent of the owner of the vehicle
is willing and able to remove the vehicle immediately.
