Tyrone Borough will be stepping up enforcement of its revised abandoned/junked vehicle ordinance later this month.
In November of last year, borough council approved a new ordinance to deal with the issue of junked or abandoned vehicles in the municipality.
Code Enforcement officer Tom Lang said the ordinance went into effect immediately when council approved it on Nov. 8. Earlier this week, Lang explained to The Daily Herald the borough has decided to be more proactive about enforcing the new ordinance with spring right around the corner.
Coincidentally, the borough has chosen March 21, the first day of spring, as the date it will step up enforcement procedures regarding junked and abandoned vehicles in the borough.
A notice appears in today’s edition of The Daily Herald advising citizens of the borough’s plans. The notice is scheduled to be published again on March 9.
The ordinance allows residents to keep a junked vehicle on their property provided they have a permit from the borough.
According to the ordinance a junked vehicle is one “which has no valid registration or certificate of inspection and/or has been stripped or partially disassembled so that it is inoperable or immovable and is parked or permitted to stand on a public street or alley for 48 hours and/or an unenclosed location on private property for a continuous period in excess of 30 days.”
The ordinance explains it’s unlawful to have a junked vehicle on public property, “including, but not limited to, any streets or alleyways, within the borough of Tyrone.”
The ordinance does allow a person to park or store a junked vehicle on private property provided the vehicle is kept on the premises of the owner of the vehicle and no more than one such vehicle is kept on the premises.
The ordinance requires owners of stored or parked junked vehicles on private property to obtain a permit, on a semi-annual basis, indicating whether the vehicle is being restored or is intended to be used off of public streets.
The public notice in today’s paper notes the ability to obtain a permit for a vehicle to be kept on the premises of its owner is the main change from the borough’s previous ordinance on abandoned and junked vehicles.
The ordinance also provides that a junked vehicle be “constantly covered” by a cover specifically sold for such purposes. The police department and the code enforcement officer have the discretion to determine the appropriateness of the cover required for a vehicle if a situation exists where a cover is not manufactured for a certain type of vehicle.
The ordinance specifically states, “plastic tarps, cloth tarps and other like materials are not permitted to be used as automobile/motor vehicle covers unless approved…”
The ordinance also outlines the definition of an abandoned vehicle as one “which is parked or permitted to stand on any public street or alley for a continuous period exceeding 48 hours unattended and not bearing one of the following: a valid registration plate, a certificate of inspection and an ascertainable vehicle identification number. The ordinance also states vehicles which are permitted to stand or be parked on a public street or alley for a period of 48 hours without the consent of the owner or person in control shall be considered abandoned.
When authorities become aware of a abandoned or junked vehicle, an investigation will be made to determine if the vehicle is in violation of the ordinance. The borough will send by certified mail notice to the owner of the vehicle. The owner will then have 10 days to remove the vehicle from the street or private property.
The ordinance also calls for fines not less than $50 and not more than $600 for violating the ordinance upon conviction before the district magisterial judge. A person defaulting on payment of fines is also subject to up to 30 days in jail. Lang said its up to the magisterial judge to impose the fine; the borough provides the guidelines for the minimum and maximum fines and jail sentence allowed.
Each day a violation exists after written notice is given constitutes a separate offense.
Borough council also approved a fee schedule for permits regarding junked vehicles which are kept on private property in compliance with the new ordinance.
The fee is $50 for the first six months, $100 for the second six months and $150 for every six months a junked vehicle is stored or parked on private property in compliance with the new ordinance.
Anyone with questions regarding the new ordinance should call Lang at the Tyrone Code Enforcement office at 684-1330 or the Tyrone Police Department at 684-1365.
