01-19-1993 - Request for Amendment to the West Covina Municipal Code Relating to Working on Vehicles in Residential Zones• • City of West Covina
Memorandum
TO: City Manager and City Council
FROM: Patrick Glover
Building and Safety Director
AGENDA
ITEM NO. G-lb
DATE January 19, 1993
SUBJECT:. Request for amendment to the West Covina Municipal Code
relating to working on vehicles in residential zones.
SUMMARY: Code Enforcement has received numerous complaints about
individuals who are constantly working on motor vehicles in
residential zones. Current code language only restricts these
repairs to a 72 hour time limit and does not address the
number :or ownership of the vehicles being repaired. In an
effort to respond to the complaints, additional or modified
code language is necessary to facilitate enforcement efforts.
BACKGROUND
The West Covina Municipal Code Section 26-391(k) has defined inoperable vehicles as any
vehicle "in a state of being dismantled, immovable, assembled, disassembled, un-licensed or
incapable of legally performing its design function on city or state streets or highways".
The West Covina Municipal Code currently allows residents to store inoperative vehicles in
view from the street for a period of seventy-two (72) hours. It does not limit the number of
vehicles and it does not address the ownership of the vehicles. Currently a person may have
as many inoperable vehicles as they want on their property and repair them all, as long as
they finish within seventy-two hours. A maximum.of two inoperable vehicles, not in view
from the street or from neighboring properties, can remain indefinitely.
While this code section has been effective in stopping residents. from storing their inoperable
vehicles for long periods of time in plain view from the street, it has not been effective in
limiting residents who continually repair vehicles on their property. While running an auto
repair business in a residential zone is prohibited, the repair of vehicles for residents' friends
or neighbors as a hobby and for pleasure is not restricted. Code Enforcement acknowledges
that non -continuous or infrequent repair of vehicles is part of everyday life and that residents
should have the right to repair vehicles as needed at their home.
There are cases however, where residents in the City of West. Covina are almost constantly
repairing vehicles on their property. This almost constant repair is often a nuisance and an
annoyance to the surrounding neighbors. Code Enforcement has received numerous
complaints from . residents who live next to, or near to, these houses which are doing
excessive amounts of auto repair. After the complaint is received, Code Enforcement talks
with the person doing the repair work and tries to determine if said person is running a
business or receiving any compensation for auto repair services. The person is always quick
to deny that he is. doing the repair work for money or any other compensation. The usual
rebuttal to the Code Enforcement Officer's questions are "I'm just repairing my friend's
car," or "This is my cousin's car."
Presently Code Enforcement is dealing with several locations on which the city has received
complaints from neighbors about excessive auto repair. All these locations have inoperable
vehicles registered to individuals other than the property owner or resident where they are
located. In an effort to respond to these complaints, additional Code Language is necessary.
to facilitate enforcement efforts.
This problem has been addressed by other cities such as Covina, Garden Grove, Riverside,
and Upland. These cities have adopted code sections which limit work on vehicles to those
which are registered to the property owner or resident of the property. This type of
Ordinance must be cautiously administered in order to address the cases where only
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January 12, 1993
Amendment to Municipal Code
Page 2
excessive auto repair is being done in the residential zone. The usual procedure of warnings
and written notices would be used to give the person doing the repair work a chance to
explain why, and to limit such activities to vehicles registered to the property address.
RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the City Council refer this item to the Planning Commission for
evaluation to change the language currently contained in the Municipal code on this topic.
atric J. Olover
Building and Safety Director
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