EVERETT – Broken-down cars are a visual blight in neighborhoods, city officials say, and property owners face a host of new ordinances aimed at cleaning up Everett.
“We’re trying to eliminate front yards that look like parking lots,” said Marian Krell, Everett City Council president.
Last week, the council approved stricter rules against having junk vehicles, broken-down vehicles, or just too many vehicles.
It’s now illegal to have more than four vehicles – working or otherwise – on private property. Motorcycles are excluded, and exceptions can be made for houses with more than four licensed drivers, according to the new city rules.
Also, city rules aim to remove inoperable vehicles from private property, piggybacking on the rules for junk vehicles.
Offenders face a fine of up to $500 penalty for the first offense, and a fine of up to $1,000 for a second offense. The new rules also track repeat offenders over three years, instead of wiping the slate clean after just one year.
Krell said she could give a half-hour tour of more than 100 properties that have too many cars or might be illegal auto repair shops operating in neighborhoods.
“There are a lot of cars sitting around on property in Everett, and the code compliance officers keep working the same ones over and over again,” said Krell, former head of the Office of Neighborhoods. “People move them around, and pretty soon they’re in the yard again. This is what we’re trying to eliminate.”
The rules limiting the number of cars on private property do not apply to apartment complexes or vehicles parked inside buildings.
The new city rules define inoperable vehicles as ones without current license tabs and with any damage that would prompt a state trooper to pull it off the highway. Such damage includes broken lights, broken mirrors, broken windows, deflated tires, missing seats or other disrepair.
An opaque cover – but not a blue tarp – can still be used to conceal such cars and avoid prosecution, according to the new rules.
City code enforcement officers will respond primarily to complaints from neighbors and won’t be out looking for junk vehicles specifically, said Laura Van Slyck, city prosecutor.
“There have been complaints of people operating auto repair shops in residential neighborhoods,” Van Slyck said.
Those properties might have more than a dozen cars parked in front, back and side yards, she said.
Officials plan to warn and educate property owners on the new rules. Any citations issued will go to the city’s hearing examiner, Van Slyck said.
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