Legal Documents of Jefferson City

Definitions. The following definitions shall apply in the interpretation and enforcement of this section:

1. "Antique." Any vehicle over 25 years old.
2. "Demolisher." Any person whose business is to convert a motor vehicle into processed scrap or scrap metal, or otherwise to wreck or dismantle a motor vehicle.
3. "Junked vehicle." Any vehicle which is wrecked, dismantled, partially dismantled, or discarded.
4. "Person." Any person or individual, firm, organization, partnership, association, corporation or company of any kind.
5. "Property." Any real property within Jefferson City, Tennessee, which is not a public right-of-way.
6. "Shall." The word "shall" is mandatory and not merely directory.
7. "Vehicle." Any machine propelled other than by human power which is designed to travel along the ground by use of wheels, treads, runners, or slides, and transports persons or property and shall include, and not be limited to, automobiles, trucks/trailers, motorcycles, tractors, mobile homes, or motor homes.

Location or presence of junked vehicles within the city deemed public nuisance; exceptions. The location or presence of any junked vehicle or junked vehicles on any lot, tract, parcel of land or portion thereof, occupied or unoccupied, improved or unimproved, within Jefferson City, shall be deemed a public nuisance, and it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to cause or maintain such public nuisance by wrecking, dismantling, rendering inoperable, abandoning or discarding his or their vehicle or vehicles on property, or to allow or permit the same to be placed, located, maintained or exist upon his or their own real property; provided that this section shall not apply to:

1. Any vehicle in operable condition specifically adapted or constructed for racing or operation on privately owned dragstrips or raceways;
2. Any antique retained and maintained by the owner for collection purposes other than for salvage or for transportation. Such vehicle shall be maintained in operable condition and at the discretion of the authority with jurisdiction be required to comply with item (c) of subsection (2) of this chapter.
3. Any junked vehicle kept within a building where it will not be visible from the street;
4. Any junked vehicle in an appropriate storage place or depository maintained at a location designated and approved by Jefferson City.

Removal of junked vehicles required.

1. The accumulation and storage of one or more such vehicles in violation of the provision of this chapter shall constitute rubbish and unsightly debris and a nuisance and may be detrimental to the health, safety, and general welfare of the inhabitants of Jefferson City.
2. It shall be the duty of the registered owner of such vehicle and it shall also be the duty of the person in charge of control of the property upon which such junked vehicle is located, whether owner, tenant, occupant, lessee, or otherwise, to remove the vehicle to a place of lawful storage or to have the vehicle housed within a building where it will not be visible from a public right-of-way.

Notification and authority.

1. Whenever any such public nuisance exists on occupied or unoccupied, commercial or residential, private or public property within Jefferson City, the owner or owners of said property shall be notified by the city manager or his authorized agent to abate or remove the nuisance. The notification shall:

   1. Be in writing,
   2. Specify the public nuisance and its location,
   3. Specify any corrective measures that can be taken, and
   4. State that compliance must be provided within ten (10) days of receipt of the notification.
2. The notification shall be served upon the owner or owners of said premises by serving them personally or by sending said notice by certified mail, return receipt requested, to their address as shown on the current tax rolls of Jefferson City. If the owner or owners of the premises fail to or refuse to comply with the order of the city manager or his authorized agent within a ten (10) day period after notification, such failure or refusal to remove the nuisance shall be deemed a violation of the provisions of this chapter and said owner or owners shall be subject to the penalties provided within this chapter.
3. If the owner or owners of the vehicle or premises upon which the junked vehicle lies fail or refuse to comply with the order of the city manager or his authorized agent within a ten (10) day period after notification, the city manager and/or his authorized agent may enter upon said property, take possession of junked vehicle or vehicles and remove the same from said property. Upon completion of such removal, any reasonable costs incurred, plus 15 percent for inspection and other incidental costs for correction purposes, shall be paid by the owner or owners of said property to Jefferson City and said costs shall be billed to said owner or owners accordingly. If the bill is not fully paid to the city within sixty (60) days after receipt of the bill, a ten (10) percent penalty shall be added to the balance due. The costs and penalty shall be placed on the tax roll of Jefferson City as a lien upon the property and collected in the same manner as other city taxes are collected.