City targeting inoperable vehicles

Effort is part of stepped up code enforcement by city

If you have a longterm vehicle repair project staged in your driveway or just store your boat or RV there most of the time, you could be paid a visit by a Porterville Code Enforcement officer in the near future.

“Beginning April 15, the City is going to be more proactive in dealing with inoperable vehicles in the public right-of-way. If you’ve got a car up on blocks in your driveway or if you store your boat or RV there year round, that is not allowed,” said Porterville Fire Department Chief Dave Lapere.

Last year the City Council directed staff to conduct a survey of the citizens in Porterville, and one of the greatest areas of concern expressed by residents was the issue of inoperable vehicles stored on private property, which is a violation of an ordinance adopted into the Porterville City Code in 1978.

In the past this issue has been dealt with by the issuance of a courtesy notice from the Community Development Department, but after a recent restructuring, officers from the Code Enforcement Division will now be dealing with this through the process contained in the Porterville City Code.

“The council has instructed us to hire two new code enforcement officers as well as acquiring two new vehicles to help deal with this issue as well as general code enforcement,” said Lapere. “What we’re trying to do is notify the public with enough time that hopefully people will realize this is coming and find some other place to store those vehicles.”

Proper storage for inoperable vehicles in the City of Porterville is considered wholly within a building, or behind a 6-foot solid fence, not visible from the public right-of-way. Also, property owners must remove and properly store any vehicle parts in the same manner.

If the City identifies a vehicle as inoperable, a 10-day notice is sent by registered mail to both the property owner and the last known registered owner of the

vehicle. Those parties are legally responsible to either meet the proper storage requirements in the time set forth in the initial notice or arrange for a hearing to hear the specifics of their circumstances.

“The process is subjective and each case will be dealt with in a compassionate way,” said Lapere. “But if they don’t respond to the notice or they lose their hearing they need to move their vehicle posthaste.”

Failure to move the vehicle to a location suitable for storage may result in the City causing the removal for storage

and/or destruction of the vehicle.

“It is not our intention at all to tow away anyone’s vehicle,” said Lapere. “We’re just trying to clean up the City and we’re going to give people proper notice and proper time to do that.”

Lapere added that the City’s first priority will be major thoroughfares like Olive, Morton, Henderson, Westwood and Main Street, and over time they will work their way down into side streets and the community at large. He has already identified several areas of concern around town.

“I’ve got one address that has five cars in the front yard and they’re all broken down and have been there for some time,” he said.

Porterville City Code section 17-17.2 says the accumulation and storage of dismantled or inoperative vehicles on private or public property reduces property value, invites plundering, creates fire hazards, creates shelter for rodents and insects, and presents a general health and safety hazard.

Code Enforcement is asking everyone to be a good neighbor to keep the City of Porterville as nuisance-free as possible.

“When we have broken down cars in driveways and things like that it tears at the fabric of our quality of life,” said Lapere.