CHAPTER 7
UNATTENDED MOTOR VEHICLES
SECTION:
§7500: Leaving Unattended Vehicles
§7501: Action By Police Officer
§7503: Penalties For Violation
§7500 LEAVING UNATTENDED VEHICLES
No person driving or in charge of a motor vehicle shall permit it to stand unattended in any public place or in any used or new car lot or parking lot without first stopping the engine, locking the ignition, removing the ignition key from the vehicle, effectively setting the brake thereon and, when standing upon any grade, turning the front wheels to the curb or side of the highway. (Ord. 587, §1, adopted 1967)
§7501 ACTION BY POLICE OFFICER
Whenever any police officer shall find a motor vehicle standing unattended with the ignition key in the vehicle in violation of this Section, such police officer is authorized to remove such key from such vehicle and deliver such key to the police officer in charge of the Ukiah police station. (Ord. 587, §1, adopted 1967)
§7502 PRESUMPTION
The registered owner of a vehicle found in violation of this Section shall be held prima facie responsible for any such violation. (Ord. 587, §1, adopted 1967)
§7503 PENALTIES FOR VIOLATION
The penalty for violation of this Section shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof, shall be punishable by a fine not exceeding five dollars ($5.00). (Ord. 587, Sec. 1, adopted 1967)
§7504 GARAGE OPERATORS’ FEE
By resolution the City Council from time to time may impose a fee on garage operators who accept for storage any motor vehicle impounded under the authority of Chapter 10, Division 11 (commencing with section 22650) of the California Vehicle Code. Said fee shall be determined based on the City’s actual cost of impounding the vehicle and when so imposed, shall be deemed part of the garage operator’s cost of towing and storing the vehicle within the meaning of Vehicle Code section 22851, or any amendments thereto. Said fee may be expressed as a fixed sum per removal or as a percentage of the actual cost of removal.
The garage operator shall collect the fee prior to returning possession of the vehicle to the owner or authorized agent. The garage operator may authorize the police department to collect the fee on behalf of the operator. In that event, the operator is authorized to release the vehicle upon receiving written notice from the police department that the fee has been paid, provided all other costs subject to the lien imposed by Vehicle Code section 22851 have been paid. (Ord. 899, §1, adopted 1990)