Can the city force you to get rid of your cars?

Question

The city has been ragging on me about my two cars in my driveway. These are not daily drivers and are restoration project cars. One is a 78 trans am and the other is a 87 fire bird gta. Both are not the most pleasant looking but I have plans. Still, these are my cars, and something I want to fix someday. Money is tight, so I cant really rush on them like the city demanded.

The city tells me one second they fall into special interest and the next they say junked and they want them gone. I have five days to get rid of them or they are towing them at my cost.

What are my legal options and how is this fair for them to just tell me what I can and cannot have car wise? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My neighbor is the one who has complained and complains about everything I do btw and there are other cars a few streets up just like mine and have been sitting for years. I think I have been selected out personally.

Why did I buy them? Well, at the time I did have money and time to fix them but well, life happens and plans don't always work out the way you think.

Sadly my garage was converted and I cannot store them there.

The city told me to put them in the backyard but that is a city violation of its own.

Whomever left the thumbs down you have serious issues because all answers were awesome and different points of view I needed.

You have to much time on your hands, get a effin life!

Answer 1

Here in this town in Oklahoma, if you have a junk car sitting around in your yard, and it doesn't have a tag on it, the city will give you a warning and tell you to get rid of it. If the car is sitting there, and you have a black tag on it(which is a tag you can buy even without insurance), then the city won't do anything to you with that tag. The reason they do it here is for beautification of our small town. Too many places were starting to look pretty shabby, and having cars sitting around just made it look "junky". That's the city's word. If I were you, I'd go down to city hall and ask about the city ordinance they have regarding old cars like that. It's what we did. If they have an ordinance against it, then yes, the city can tow your cars away at your expense. they can here. Good luck

Answer 2

You need to go to where ever they keep the ordinance book for your city and find and read the section on vehicle storage that apply to your situation. Some cities allow it providing the vehicle is insured and registered, and has current tags. Other cities will not allow vehicles that aren't running to be parked over a time limit, usually 30 days. Still others require them to be enclosed in a garage where they can't be seen.

But stop one is to find out the law in your area. Do it quickly since they will tow after 5 days.

Whatever you need to do to make it legal, assuming there is a way, do it within 5 days and notify them you have "Met the requirements as per Section XXX of the City Code."

If they still complain, you may need to request a hearing before zoning, or city council, or whoever would control that.

Answer 3

ok if the cars are able to be driven then try using them a bit i tell you this cuz i was in the same situation but it's your naighbors fault and yes they can make you get rid of them in some cases but it's because it sometimes brings down the value of your house and your neighbors house how cuz no one wants to buy a beautiful house next to some one that has a driveway that looks like a junk yard hey man dont look at me i just thought the same thing when they told me WTF anyways what you could do is cover them up or just move them around from time to time like i said i was in the same spot as you the city had actually came down with the tow truck and as soon as i saw them i grabbed the keys to my car and walked up to it they said they were here to tow the car i told them hell no get the hell out of my way this is my car and it works and i'm going to the store what the hell are you talking about when they saw that i turn the car on and drove off they didnt say nothing and left they never bother me again it's been 2 years and my car is in the drive way but covered up havent had any problems since

Answer 4

I know where we live there are laws about not having unlicensed unregistered vehicles on your property. It's OK if they're in a garage because they're not an eyesore but they're not supposed parked in the open. I can't say as I have much sympathy on this one because my neighbor has 6 cars (4 are junkers) and one of them in always in the driveway and another is usually parked on their front on back lawn. They're breaking laws about not doing major body work in residential neighborhoods (noise and environmental hazards) and frankly it's just not pleasant to sit on the deck and have to look at a rusted out car with grass growing around it. (We have a 6' high fence but can still see it from the house.) We live downhill from these people and are also concerned about what this is doing to our septic lines, ground water and grass. The constant grinding noise from them doing body work is irritating and one of the vehicles has had the muffler removed and they like to rev it up and drive it around and it's so loud we can't hear phone conversations or the television when they're doing it and that's with all the windows closed. You're probably annoying the neighbors a lot more than you realize. Why did you buy them if you don't have the money to fix them up or a place to store them?

Answer 5

They fall under the nuisance ordinance and because you have them sitting in your driveway and not physically doing any restoration on them, yes the city can tell you what to do with them.

I suggest you get a storage garage (most towns have them) and store them there until you start physically restoring them.

Only do one at a time so you can devote all your time on that one project rather than trying to do two things at once.

The city has an obligation to the public to present a community people will want to move into, and not rejects from the trailor park.

We have a local ordinance which prohibits you from parking your car on the lawn. Even if you own the house you can't park on your yard.

Answer 6

A municipality cannot make you sell your cars, but they can pass restrictions on what may be parked on a city street or in a driveway. For example, in my town you are not allowed to park a disabled vehicle outside of a garage with the exception of a maintenance or repair facility. This limits the number of junker cars on the block. It helps the look of then neighborhood and helps property values. Look at the town code and see if they have a similar ordinance.

Answer 7

Take it to a severe college motor vehicle parking zone or something like that and produce some hammers too. Then charge human beings to hit the crap out of it. return it, and he ought to not like it anymore. so which you do away with the motor vehicle and make a pair of dollars... difficulty solved! Or do away with the registration code and illegally park it. It gets the interest completed.

Answer 8

this is very common problem...
.i was cited once for a fully restored 1940 Lincoln..
my neighbor with a $200 Toyota thought it was a eye sore because it was old...
yes, you are being harassed, and you can sue the neighbor..
if your cars will not run...can they be covered ? can you move them in the garage or behind the house ?..talk to the enforcement agent and see what can be done or at least get more time...unfortunately many people with that job don't know the law .and they think they are enforcing it..
they don't have as much power as the think they do.
there are loop holes read the ordnance yourself ...carefully

Answer 9

They can tow your vehicles away at your cost. If they are not roadworthy and registered, they can be considered an eyesore and a health hazard. Unused vehicles can be used by rats to nest and also encourage vandalism.

Sorry, but you either have to store them in a garage or sell them, it will cost a lot more to recover them once impounded.

Good luck.

Answer 10

I have heard of allowing so many cars in your yard, but if you think your getting singled out,you should find out the ordinance of your city.