Beginning this week, our towing company will begin policing the visitor lots for inoperable vehicle, vehicles with expired registration or inspections, vehicles with flat tires, and any other vehicle which violates our Parking Rules. These Parking rules are available from the “Governing Documents” link in the menu above. Each visitor lot is clearly posted indicating that we do not allow expired tags or inspections, so you cannot say you are unaware of this rule.
We have also had a large number of people parking in the clearly marked Fire Lanes, and who apparently believe that putting on the emergency flashers will prevent them from being towed; this is not the case. Unless you are an official emergency vehicle, you cannot park in the Fire Lanes, period. We have advised the towing company to allow 10 minutes for you to unload groceries or help someone inside, simply as a courtesy.
Just so we are clear, this is what the Code says regarding all Fire Lanes:
Sec. 12-22. – Obstructions; regulations.
(1) The owner or person in control of property upon which a fire lane exists shall cause any motor vehicle other than an authorized emergency vehicle that is parked in a fire lane to be removed in accordance with Vernon’s Annotated Texas Statutes, Article 6701g—1.
(2) No person shall park, stop or leave standing any non-emergency vehicle, either attended or unattended, within any portion of the fire lane.
(3) No person shall permanently place any object of any kind in, on, across or over a fire lane in such a manner as to obstruct the free passage of fire apparatus over a fire lane. Fire lanes may be temporarily obstructed with specific written permission of the fire chief or his designee.
(4) Any vehicle found parked or standing in any designated fire lane shall be subject to citation and/or impoundment, or both, by any peace officer of the city, or subject to removal as authorized by law.
(5) For purposes of this subsection, a “non-emergency vehicle” shall mean a vehicle of any type other than the following:
a. Vehicles assigned to the fire department that are engaged in emergency activities.
b. Police department or other law enforcement vehicles on official business.
c. Ambulance vehicles on emergency calls.
Excalibur Towing will be patrolling our subdivision periodically and will be looking for violators in our visitor lots/fire lanes. If your vehicle is towed, it costs about $250 to get it back, excluding storage or other fees.
(NOTE) Excalibur will not tow expired or inoperable vehicles from under your carport; only the City of GP can do that, after proper notice.
Our rules do not allow inoperable cars under carports. Warning letters will be issued and possible fines imposed upon owners who have inoperable vehicles under their carports.
What is the rule for service vehicles (painter, roofer, contractor, etc.) parking in the fire lane?
We generally try to be accommodating to a point. We prefer that contractors, plumbers or roofers unload and then park in the proper lots. However, in some cases this is not practical. We have to approach this on a case by case basis. If you let us know, they can use your carport and you can park your vehicle in visitors lot temporarily, with a tag or sticker to keep you from being towed.
But, even though we might tacitly allow it, if Police or Fire Department see these contractors they may get cited and/or towed. The superseding law in this case is the Fire Code which does not allow any obstruction (parking) in the Fire Lanes.
I sincerely hope this stops residents monopolizing visitor parking as well. Several in my area are elderly and have people who come to not only care for them but family members who stop by to check on them and never have places to park. In my area, I even have neighbors who have vehicles that they use to operate a used car lot and operate a business from their home where their employees park there, so would love to see this stop as well. I think we have a bylaw, OR USED TO, about operating a business from your home (?)
We will be addressing this problem very soon; I know of whom you speak. We do have something in the CC&R, in the restrictions that prohibit running a business that causes traffic around your home that can be attributed to nothing but a business. We must enforce the visitor only rules, and many people will be upset when their cars are towed off. However, they have been given numerous and ample warnings; every notice sent out since last year reinforces that visitor parking is for visitors only, not your surplus cars.