Jackson Municipal Code Ch. 10.16 Vehicle Impoundment

This chapter is intended to and does implement, extend, and provide other additional and alternative penalties to those set forth in Section 1.20.010 for illegal parking violations under present or future city ordinances.

(Ord. 237 §1, 1961; Ord. 346 §1, 1973)

It is unlawful to park any vehicle upon any street, lane or alley usually and normally used for and by the general public, used and utilized by the law enforcement department and officers of the city, used and utilized by the fire department, or the officers or members thereof while engaged in the operation of firefighting equipment, wherein, the manner or place of the parking constitutes an obstruction to the police and fire department of the city in the usual, normal, regular and necessary conduct of city business.

(Ord. 237 §2, 1961)

Wherein and by virtue of any city ordinance presently in effect or enacted in the future, the parking of any vehicle is and becomes thereby unlawful or illegally parked, the provisions set forth in Sections 10.16.040—10.16.070 apply.

(Ord. 237 §3, 1961; Ord. 346 §2, 1973)

Members of the police department are authorized to remove a vehicle from a street or highway to the nearest garage or other place of safety, or to a garage designated or maintained by the police department, or otherwise maintained by this city under the following additional circumstances:

A. When any vehicle is left unattended upon any bridge, viaduct, or causeway, or in any tube or tunnel where such vehicle constitutes an obstruction to traffic;

B. When a vehicle upon a highway is so disabled as to constitute an obstruction to traffic and the person or persons in charge of the vehicle are by reason of physical injury incapacitated to such an extent as to be unable to provide for its custody or removal;

C. When any vehicle is left unattended upon a street and is so parked illegally as to constitute a definite hazard or obstruction to the normal movement of traffic.

(Ord. 237 §3(A), 1961)

Whenever an officer removes a vehicle from a street as authorized in Sections 10.16.030—10.16.070 and the officer knows or is able to ascertain from the registration records in the vehicle the name and address of the owner thereof, he or she shall immediately give or cause to be given notice in writing to such owner of the fact of such removal and the reasons therefor and of the place to which such vehicle has been removed. In the event any such vehicle is stored in a public garage, a copy of such notice shall be given to the proprietor of the garage.

(Ord. 237 §3(B), 1961)

Whenever an officer removes a vehicle from a street under Sections 10.16.030—10.16.070 and does not know and is not able to ascertain the name of the owner, or for any other reason is unable to give the notice to the owner as provided in Section 10.16.050, and in the event the vehicle is not returned to the owner within a period of three days, then, and in that event, the officer shall immediately send, or cause to be sent, written report of such removal by mail to the State Department whose duty it is to register motor vehicles, and shall file a copy of such notice with the proprietor of any public garage in which the vehicle may be stored. Such notice shall include a complete description of the vehicle, the date, time, and place from which removed, the reasons for such removal, and name of the garage or place where the vehicle is stored.

(Ord. 237 §3(C), 1961)

In the event, and whenever, under the provisions of Sections 10.16.030—10.16.070, a vehicle is impounded, the total costs for such impounding and storage, including the cost for towa-way, impounding and storage, must be, by the owner of the automobile, before he or she can or may reclaim the vehicle from such storage depository, pay all costs and charges incident to the tow-a-way, impounding and storage, directly to the agency physically providing the tow-a-way, impounding and storage, under the direction of the police department.

(Ord. 237 §3(D), 1961)