DRIVERS face strict limits on the number of vehicles they can keep in their driveway, but help is at hand in the form of a loophole.
A new law aiming to curb the number of abandoned and unused vehicles will target thousands of drivers.
2
2
Under the new rules coming into place in Gilbert, Arizona, drivers would only be allowed one “inoperable” vehicle in front of their property.
But that rule is seen as vague by critics and doesn’t apply to cars kept in the backyard out of sight from the street.
The law says that any vehicles kept onsite must be completely hidden from view by an “opaque” fence or wall, and none can be left in the front yard.
Exceptions to this include if the vehicle is registered to a resident, is undergoing repairs, and it isn’t stationary for more than 15 days.
But this so-called get-out-of-jail-free card can only be used three times a year.
Gilbert Planning Manager Eva Cutro gave more details about the law change.
She explained that an operable vehicle is anything that can’t be legally driven on public roads or moved on its own.
Trailers and campers are generally exempt, as is anything being worked on for maintenance or mods.
However, those vehicles must be hidden from view while being worked on.
There may also be exemptions for vehicles set by individual HOAs in Gilbert.
Chimed town attorney Christopher Payne said: “The HOAs can set their own rules on this. They can have their own rules be more strict or less strict.”
How to report an abandoned car
Reporting an abandoned vehicle is important for keeping city streets safe and clean
Not only is an abandoned car an eyesore, it’s also a hazard to the surrounding community as pests and rodents can take refuge in the interior, engine bay, or trunk.
Leaking fluids can be dangerous for the environment, as many vehicle fluids are toxic and can wreak havoc on ecosystems if they enter waterways.
They can also encourage crime with several cities like Oakland, California reporting that drug dealers may use them to hide and side drugs or weapons.
Abandoned vehicles can also lower property values.
Therefore, they’re worth Specific contact information for your city’s abandoned car hotline may vary, but the necessary information on the vehicle is the same.
When reporting an abandoned vehicle, police will need:
- The exact address of the vehicle
- Information on the steering column (broken, missing, intact, etc)
- Condition of the vehicle (severely damaged, windows broken, leaking fluids, missing body panels or doors, etc)
- Make and model
- Color
- Body style (pickup truck, SUV, sedan, etc)
- License plate number and state, if applicable
- VIN
Many cities will allow residents to report abandoned vehicles online through an online form, or it can be called in.
Source: ABC affiliate WPVI-TV
Gilbert residents were divided on the rules.
One commented: “This is not an uncommon ordinance, nor an unreasonable one. If you have multiple project cars that you are actually working on then you should be in a house with a garage and want to keep them in there to protect them.
“If you’re leaving cars to rot outside indefinitely in public view because someday you might do something with it then you are the reason these efforts exist.”
Another added: “This isn’t unique or unreasonable. Being limited to only one visible broken down car at a time is far from extreme.”
But others grumbled that this was more evidence that Gilbert was pushing out some of its older residents.
“Gilbert used to be a complete backwater and now it’s basically gentrified into an HOA,” one wrote.
They added: “This seems pretty squarely targeted at getting rid of the holdouts that refuse to sell to the developers trying to turn Gilbert into some cookie-cutter subdivision of Scottsdale.”
Gilbert, which lies just 30 minutes southeast of Arizona’s state capital Phoenix, has a population of nearly 300,000.
With just 30,000 residents calling the city home as recently as 1990, Gilbert is one of the fastest-growing cities in the US.
