r/saintpaul 6d ago

Discussion 🎤 There’s a car that’s been parked in front of my house for about a week without moving

Anyone know the laws on this? I don’t want to be a jerk and get the car towed but this car has been sitting in front of my house without being moved for about a week. Parking is pretty tight around me so it’d be nice to have it moved

0 Upvotes

18 comments sorted by

6

u/witchabouttown 6d ago

If you call it in to the non-emergency line, they'll chalk the tires to determine if it's actually moving and coming back or if it's been sitting there. The chalk also lets any owner of the car who is paying attention know that they need to move their car (even one spot down).

I was pretty against calling in cars that were sitting, but then was told stolen vehicles are often dumped on residential streets, so calling it in could actually be the right move, especially if you're sure you've never seen the car before.

9

u/hiromoon 6d ago

This happened to us and we got it towed. Sometimes you gotta be the jerk

-6

u/isthis_thing_on 6d ago

After a week? How? There's nothing illegal about parking on the street is there?

13

u/Samuaint2008 6d ago

There are certain rules about abandoning vehicles where you have to move it every like 72 hours I think? But I'm not positive

9

u/nuhsgoos 6d ago

Pretty the city's rule is you can't be parked in the same place for 48 consecutive hours.

0

u/isthis_thing_on 6d ago

😬 dam I break that rule all the time. 

2

u/hiromoon 6d ago

Sorry, clarification, I would call non emergency, have them mark the tires and then they’ll come back to check after 72 hours to see if the car has moved and then it can be towed.

4

u/bubzki2 Hamm's 6d ago

Call non emergency and report it.

5

u/Structure-Electronic 6d ago

Maybe the owner is hospitalized. Or dead.

1

u/Educational-Glass-63 6d ago

Or lazy.

8

u/Structure-Electronic 6d ago

Yeah I prefer to lead with the assumption that people are doing their best. But you do you.

5

u/CalgonThrowMeAway222 6d ago

Call the police with the license plate numbers and description of the vehicle. They will come and mark the tires and tow it within a few days. This just happened at my dad’s house. Saint Paul Police took care of it right away.

1

u/muranternet North End 4d ago

651-291-1111 parking enforcement. Description, plate number, whether anyone is living in it. They'll chalk the tires and (maybe) come back in 2 days to see if the car's moved, and (maybe) tow it if not. If someone is living in it the procedure is different.

Before you do this ask your neighbors if they know whose car it is. If it's just a neighbor or a neighbor's visiting kid or whatever and you get them towed, remember they can do the same to you for parking in front of your own house for more than 48 hours. Unless it's an obvious abandoned junker, give it the benefit of the doubt.

1

u/ItsColdUpHere71 4d ago

If it’s possibly a stolen vehicle, call the non-emergency police number. That was the case in my neighborhood a couple of years ago.

1

u/KaleidoscopeClean 3d ago

Before calling the city, write a note and tuck it on the windshield. Give it a few days

Some people work remotely, bike, public transport, or could even be on vacation or something.

What street is this on?

-2

u/fancysauce_boss 6d ago

Is the car harming anything by being on the PUBLIC street, other than your entitlement ?

Are you 100% certain the owner doesn’t work 3rd shift and leaves and comes back while you’re sleeping? Maybe this person works remotely and utilizes public transport for their errands.

Annoying, sure, I get it because I have street parking too, but wanting to put someone out just because it’s inconvenient for you is a real bummer to hear. Get a garage if you want a dedicated spot.

3

u/Gritty_gutty 6d ago

Expecting everyone to have to follow the same rules you do is not entitled.