505.871 Removal of junk motor vehicle.
505.871 Removal of junk motor vehicle.
(A) A board of township trustees may provide, by resolution, for the removal of any vehicle in the unincorporated territory of the township that the board determines is a junk motor vehicle, as defined in section 505.173 of the Revised Code.
(B) If a junk motor vehicle is located on public property, the board of township trustees may provide in the resolution for the immediate removal of the vehicle.
(C)(1) If a junk motor vehicle is located on private property, the board of township trustees may provide in the resolution for the removal of the vehicle not sooner than fourteen days after the board serves written notice of its intention to remove or cause the removal of the vehicle on the owner of the land and any holders of liens of record on the land.
(2) The notice provided under this division shall generally describe the vehicle to be removed and indicate all of the following:
(a) The board has determined that the vehicle is a junk motor vehicle.
(b) If the owner of the land fails to remove the vehicle within fourteen days after service of the notice, the board may remove or cause the removal of the vehicle.
(c) Any expenses the board incurs in removing or causing the removal of the vehicle may be entered upon the tax duplicate and become a lien upon the land from the date of entry.
(3) The board shall serve the notice under this division by sending it by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the owner of the land, if the owner resides in the unincorporated territory of the township or if the owner resides outside the unincorporated territory of the township and the owner’s address is known or ascertainable through an exercise of reasonable diligence. The board also shall send notice in such manner to any holders of liens of record on the land. If a notice sent by certified mail is refused or unclaimed, or if an owner’s address is unknown and cannot reasonably be ascertained by an exercise of reasonable diligence, the board shall publish the notice once in a newspaper of general circulation in the township before the removal of the vehicle, and, if the land contains any structures, the board also shall post the notice on the principal structure on the land.
A notice sent by certified mail shall be deemed to be served for purposes of this section on the date it was received as indicated by the date on a signed return receipt. A notice given by publication shall be deemed to be served for purposes of this section on the date of the newspaper publication.
(D) The board of township trustees may cause the removal or may employ the labor, materials, and equipment necessary to remove a junk motor vehicle under this section. All expenses incurred in removing or causing the removal of a junk motor vehicle, when approved by the board, shall be paid out of the township general fund from moneys not otherwise appropriated, except that if the expenses exceed five hundred dollars, the board may borrow moneys from a financial institution to pay the expenses in whole or in part.
(E) The board of township trustees may utilize any lawful means to collect the expenses incurred in removing or causing the removal of a junk motor vehicle under this section, including any fees or interest paid to borrow moneys under division (D) of this section. The board may direct the township fiscal officer to certify the expenses and a description of the land to the county auditor, who shall place the expenses upon the tax duplicate as a lien upon the land to be collected as other taxes and returned to the township general fund.
(F) Notwithstanding section 4513.65 of the Revised Code, but subject to division (G)(2) of this section, any collector’s vehicle that meets the definition of a junk motor vehicle is subject to removal under this section.
(G)(1) Nothing in this section affects the authority of a board of township trustees to adopt and enforce resolutions under section 505.173 of the Revised Code to regulate the storage of junk motor vehicles on private or public property in the unincorporated territory of the township.
(2) A resolution adopted under this section is subject to the same restrictions specified in division (A) of section 505.173 of the Revised Code for resolutions adopted under that section.
Effective Date: 2007 HB50 03-05-2008