§ 22-4. Removal and impoundment of abandoned and inoperative vehicles.

(a)

Any inoperative or abandoned vehicle, as those terms are defined herein below, found standing or parked on any public street within the city, shall be removed by the police department, or any member thereof, or by any person acting under instructions from any such member, to the nearest garage or other place of safety, or to a garage or parking lot designated or maintained by the police department or otherwise maintained by the city, if such vehicle is not removed from such street by the registered owner or other person having legal custody thereof within twenty-four (24) hours after a written or printed notice has been attached to such vehicle by a member of said police department stating, in substance, that such vehicle will be moved by the Eagle Pass police department, and impounded in a place designated by such department, if it is not removed by the owner from the public street before the time specified in such notice, such time to be no less than twenty-four (24) hours after such notice is attached, and indicating the time at which such notice was attached.

Inoperative vehicle as that term is used herein, shall include any motor vehicle or trailer which cannot be readily moved and operated due to structural damage or due to its being mechanically inoperative, and which has not been moved for a period of ten (10) days immediately preceding the date on which a notice is affixed thereto as hereinabove provided, and any motor vehicle, trailer or other item of movable personal property which does not bear license plates or vehicle inspection certificate required by Texas State law to be affixed to such vehicle, trailer or other property in order to permit for the lawful operation thereof upon the highways of said state.

Abandoned vehicle, as that term is used herein, includes any vehicle or trailer which has remained continuously for a period of more than forty-eight (48) hours on any public street, alley or public way:

South of the north line of Ford Street,

North of the south line of Garrison Street,

East of the west line of Ryan Street; and

West of the Southern Pacific Railroad right-of-way;

or continuously for a period of more than ninety six (96) hours on any other public street, sidewalk, alley or public way, or city-owned land, within the city; in a place or location more than ten (10) feet from any real property occupied as the residence of the registered owner of such vehicle or trailer or other person having legal custody of same; and it will be presumed for the purposes of this section that the owner or other person having legal custody of such vehicle or trailer did not occupy any real property within such distance from the place where the same was found unless some member of said police department is advised to the contrary at the headquarters of such department prior to removal of such vehicle as provided herein above.

(b)

The provisions of section 26-129 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Eagle Pass, Texas, concerning the costs chargeable to the owner of any vehicle impounded pursuant to the terms of that section 26-129, the procedure to be followed by the police department and members thereof following impoundment of vehicles pursuant to that section, as such provisions are now written or are hereafter amended, shall govern the costs chargeable to the owner and the procedures to be followed by said police department and members thereof following impoundment of vehicles under this section.

(Ord. of 11-12-1952, § 2; Ord. No. 75-21, § 1, 11-4-1975)