Full Notification

The Petaluma Police Department has received an increase in complaints from residents over the last month regarding abandoned vehicles, boats, and recreational vehicles (RVs) on streets throughout the city of Petaluma.  Many of these vehicles are illegally parked, inoperative, and unregistered.  Some of the vehicles we have located are missing engines, have flat tires, are covered with debris, or are leaking hazardous fluids.  We have also received numerous reports of individuals living in recreational vehicles, who are dumping their waste water onto city streets and into storm drains. This practice is not only illegal, but it is harmful to public health and the environment.  These vehicles cause blight and create a nuisance to the surrounding areas. 
 
We respond to each of these reports in hopes of improving the quality of life for the registered owners, the occupants of these recreational vehicles, and the community members living in the surrounding areas.  While being sensitive to the housing situation impacted by local disasters, the goal has been to increase voluntary compliance with the current city regulations and vehicle code.  Our abandoned vehicle abatement (AVA) officer and patrol officers have been making contact with the subjects occupying each of these recreational vehicles.  Upon contact officers are advising the registered owners or occupants of any observed violations, providing them with directions on how to be in compliance with the law, and offering information regarding shelter and other available resources offered in our community.
 
The Petaluma Municipal Code prohibits a vehicle from being parked or left standing for longer than 72 consecutive hours.  Vehicles have to be moved at least one-half mile to be considered in compliance with the ordinance during such period.  If the vehicle has not moved, it may be issued a parking citation and/or towed.
 
Despite our numerous attempts, many of these occupants have refused to comply with Municipal and Vehicle codes.  We have discovered that many of these subjects just simply move their vehicles to different locations elsewhere in the city to avoid detection, rather than correcting the issues with the vehicles.
 
The Petaluma Police Department will continue to actively respond to and investigate reports of abandoned vehicles on public roadways.  We encourage registered owners and occupants of these vehicles to proactively work to ensure their vehicle is legally parked, operable, properly registered, and in compliance with all Municipal and Vehicle codes. 
 
To report an abandoned vehicle, call our non-emergency line at 778-4373.  For additional information go to our website at http://cityofpetaluma.net/police/traffic.html