Vehicle Abatement
As part of an effort to improve the quality of life and the appearance of our city, The Corning Police Department is responsible for the cleaning up abandoned, junk, wrecked, and inoperative vehicles from the city. In the past, the department has towed cars only from the roadway, but at the urging of the City Council and the City Manager, we are expanding our efforts to include private property.
In other words, any inoperative cars or hulks that are parked or stored on private property may be in violation of CMC 10.32.060, and may be subject to towing.
As envisioned by the City Council, and as written in the Corning Municipal Code, the removal of blighted vehicles witll make your neighborhood a safer place. It will make your property values go up, and it will improve the appearance of the whole city.
Officers assigned to this task have been directed to excercise flexibility. While it’s true that we can legally tow a nuisance car in just ten days, we are much more interested in working with you to find a solution. We can provide information, advice, or just more time to solve the problem. Our main goal is dealing with cars that are obviously abandoned - affectionately known as "spider motels".
| Q: | My car is on private property. How can this be anybody else's business? |
| A: | By living in a city, we all agree to cooperate with each other. It's unlawful to engage in activities that damage the community or antagonize our neighbors. |
| Q: | I have a "non-op" from the DMV. Doesn't that allow me to store my car anywhere? |
| A: | A non-op only makes it illegal for you to have your car on the street. |
| Q: | I can't afford to have my car towed right now. |
| A: | No problem. We'll try and work out a schedule that we can both live with. |
| Q: | My car is insured and registered. Is it towable? |
| A: | The law states that the car must be operational. Does it start? Is it ever used? Is it safe to operate? Is it wrecked or dismantled? We'll look at all the factors and come up with a reasonable conclusion. |
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If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Dispatch at
(530) 824-7000.
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