Dallas to consider citing, towing inoperable vehicles ‘stored' on city streets

A city-wide problem in Dallas may soon be addressed.

This month, the Dallas City Council will consider stiffer penalties for non-compliant, inoperable vehicles left parked on public streets for weeks.

Those seeking changes said these vehicles aren’t just clogging up streets for residents and first responders, but some owners are also conducting illegal operations.

Scott Walton with the Dallas Department of Transportation said it’s a daily problem, and parking enforcement employees cannot do anything about it.

He said an increasing number of people across the city are using city streets to park vehicles for days or weeks with missing or invalid license plates and/or long-expired or no registration stickers.

In mid-August, the city council will consider an amendment to current city regulations that would allow parking enforcement employees to issue warnings and citations and potentially order vehicles towed for violators who do not move inoperable vehicles out of city streets and onto private property.

“Some of the hallmarks when we're looking at this are vehicles that have some minor damage,” he said, walking down Pear Ridge Drive in far North Dallas. "We'll probably see some cars that have indications that they went through auction.”

While citations can be issued if a vehicle is not moved after 24 hours, Walton said the cars in question are either broken down or violators simply drive up or back a few inches to fall in line with existing regulations.

He said that some neighborhoods across the city have such vehicles lining public streets, bumper to bumper, while the owner works on them or even sells them with impunity.

“They do it to hinder towing, but it also lets you put more cars on the curb line because that's where they're also trying to keep a big inventory,” said Walton.

City Councilmember Cara Mendelsohn said an amendment considered this month would close a loophole.

“Parking enforcement has gone out and they've seen cars that don't have a registration, don't have a license plate, there's actually nothing in our current statute that says they can even tow it away,” she said. “This is going to correct that problem and we are seeing a lot of cars all throughout the city that are parked that are maybe really more of a car resale shop or car repair shop where they're doing it on the street.”

While the issue may not be new, Mendelsohn said she’s seen an increase in this activity since the pandemic. She’s concerned not only about streets becoming increasingly difficult for residents, visitors, and first responders but also about car fluids leaking into streets and drainage systems.

Public safety is also a key concern.

“There's illegal sales going on,” said Mendelsohn. “One illegal activity begets another, and I know in my district, in the places where this is happening, are also places that we're struggling with drug sales.”

The changes would allow the city to warn, cite, and potentially tow cars not moved off public streets, specifically those whose paper plates have expired for more than 30 days or whose vehicle registration has expired for more than 60 days.

Walton stresses the department would give ample warnings to move vehicles to private property before issuing any citations, starting at $45.

What is not yet clear is what the city will do to prove who the vehicle belongs to in situations when an owner is cited or shows up at a tow yard to claim their car without a license plate or registration.

 Vehicles could end up on the auction block, with the money going to the city’s general fund.

If passed, ample warnings in both English and Spanish would be posted on cars before citations were issued and before towing enforcement began.

“I think when we tighten up these kinds of regulations, it's good government and it's what we expect our city staff to bring forward to us and I think the residents expect us to pass so that they can have a safer and higher quality of life,” said Mendelsohn. “Our businesses can thrive and so I'm thrilled that the transportation departments bring it forward.”