§ 13-151. Impoundment of standing or parked vehicles.

(a)

Any vehicle which shall be or remain standing or parked in any posted, nonmetered, municipally owned or operated parking zone identified in section 13-363 or upon any public street, avenue, way, alley or other public place may be removed by or upon order of the city manager or the chief of police, and placed in storage in a privately operated garage or other place designated by or maintained by the city, under the following circumstances:

(1)

When any vehicle is found upon a street, avenue, alley, way or public place and a report has been previously made that such vehicle has been stolen or a complaint has been filed and a warrant issued thereon, charging that such vehicle has been stolen or converted in violation of law.

(2)

When any police officer has reasonable grounds to believe that any such vehicle has been abandoned.

(3)

When a police officer arrests any person driving or in control of a vehicle for an alleged offense and such officer is or may be required by law to take the person arrested immediately before a magistrate, and when the arrested person is the sole occupant or the owner of such vehicle and is immediately placed in custody.

(4)

When a vehicle is so disabled that its normal operation is impossible or impractical and the persons in charge of such vehicle are incapacitated by reason of physical injury or other causes to such an extent as to be unable to provide for its removal or custody, or cannot be found or are not in the immediate vicinity of such vehicle.

(5)

When any vehicle is left standing or parked unattended in violation of any applicable provision of this Code, state law or city ordinance, rule or regulation; provided, however, that if such vehicle is parked or standing immediately in front of or immediately adjacent to property owned by the owner of such vehicle, or property rented by such owner, before such vehicle shall be removed, the owner thereof shall be given notice by personal delivery or by certified mail to remove or cause to be removed such vehicle within seventy-two (72) hours. If service of such notice must be by certified mail, the notice may be addressed to the owner of such vehicle at the address given on the registration receipt of the vehicle, or his last known address.

(6)

When any vehicle is parked in any city-owned or city-operated off-street parking lot in such a way that section 13-224 is violated.

(b)

In order to obtain possession of a vehicle stored under the provisions of this section, the claimant must produce satisfactory evidence of ownership or right to possession within thirty (30) days from the date of such storage and, in addition thereto, must pay all charges for the removal and storage of such vehicle, in addition to any fine which may be assessed for the violation of any applicable provision of this Code, state law or city ordinance, rule or regulation.

(c)

If a vehicle removed under this section is not claimed within thirty (30) days from the date of storage, the vehicle may be sold by the city or the garage where the vehicle is stored, for all charges levied against such vehicle.

(Code 1977, § 15-139)