Local News in Brief : Countywide : County to Seize Vehicles Left on Private Property
The county Sheriff’s Department plans to begin removing abandoned vehicles from private property after the Board of Supervisors established a policy Wednesday to bill vehicle owners $282 for each removal.
Sheriff’s Department Capt. Vito Ferlauto said the department previously removed abandoned cars, trucks and boats from public property but not private property. He said it is illegal to maintain an inoperable vehicle on private property unless it is in an enclosure, such as a garage.
Under the new policy, a sheriff’s deputy will respond to a complaint about an abandoned vehicle and file a report. The same location will be rechecked after 11 days and, if the car has not been moved, a notice will be mailed to the vehicle’s registered owner, declaring that the vehicle will be towed away in 10 days.
After receiving the notice, a vehicle owner can appeal the removal to the Sheriff’s Department and eventually to the Board of Supervisors, Ferlauto said.
The $282 fee is intended to recover the county’s cost of the removal, but officials said the amount covers just part of the actual cost.
The policy applies only to vehicles in unincorporated areas of the county.
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