Napa County Municipal Code Ch. 10.20 Operating Motor Vehicles on Private Property

A. The board of supervisors of the county finds and declares that numerous motor vehicles have been and are being driven in and upon various largely unimproved lands located within unincorporated portions of the county, and that such activity is causing serious soil erosion of slopes, hills, washes, gullies and ravines in this county.

B. The board of supervisors further finds and declares that the excessive noise and dust emanating from and caused by such motor vehicles being operated off public roads and upon the unimproved lands within the unincorporated portions of the county has tended to and does create a public nuisance by disturbing the quiet and repose of the citizens of the county so as to interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property.

(Ord. 711 § 3 (part), 1982: prior code § 4750)

A. No person who is not the owner of such land shall operate any motor vehicle, including a motorcycle or motor-driven cycle, as such are defined in the California Vehicle Code, on vacant or unimproved private property within the unincorporated portion of the county without first having obtained the written permission of the owner thereof.

B. Any person so operating a motor vehicle with such prior permission of the owner of the property shall have such written permission within his immediate possession at all times while operating a motor vehicle upon such unimproved land.

(Ord. 1112 § 2, 1996; Ord. 711 § 3 (part), 1982: prior code § 4753)

The provisions of this chapter shall not prohibit the operation of motor vehicles when such motor vehicles are:

A. Authorized emergency vehicles, as defined in California Vehicle Code Section 165;

B. Operated upon parking lots, either open to the public or private, but solely for ingress to and egress from such parking area and for parking;

C. Operated upon property primarily used for motor vehicle, motorcycle or motor-driven cycle retail or wholesale sales, service or repair, manufacture or distribution, but operated in a manner not to be offensive, and which shall not disturb the peace and quiet of the general neighborhood;

D. Generally used in conjunction with agricultural, commercial or industrial uses and used solely in conjunction with such uses, and in a manner not to be offensive, and which shall not disturb the peace and quiet of the general neighborhood;

E. Operated upon private roadways and easements necessary for ingress to and egress from, or passage across the property, and for no other purposes;

F. Operated upon public roadways; or

G. Operated on property actually used for residential, agricultural, commercial or industrial purposes, where such motor vehicles are on the property at the express or implied invitation of the owner or occupant, and when such use is solely for ingress to, egress from, work upon, passage through or parking upon such property.

(Ord. 711 § 3 (part), 1982: prior code § 4752)

Any violation of the provisions of this chapter shall constitute an infraction, and punishable as prescribed by Section 25132(b) of the California Government Code.

(Ord. 711 § 3 (part), 1982: prior code § 4754)