CHAPTER 14. TRAFFICCHAPTER 14. TRAFFIC\Article 2. Local Traffic Regulations

It shall be unlawful for any person to park any truck with a registered gross weight exceeding 24,000 pounds, or any bus, truck tractor, semi-truck tractor, semi-trailer, or the trailer component thereof, regardless of weight, upon any street or alley in the city, except as provided below.

(a)   Any truck, bus, truck tractor, semi-truck tractor, semi-trailer, or the trailer component thereof, may be temporarily parked on any street or alley in the city, for so long as may be necessary to make deliveries of cargo therefrom to stores, residences or business establishments in the city, or to load cargo from the premises for delivery elsewhere.

(b)   It shall be lawful for the owner or lessee of a residence in the city to park one (1) semi-truck tractor owned or leased by the same person, on a hard-surfaced area at the residence, off public property.  A trailer may not be attached to the semi-truck tractor.  Upon being parked, the motor to the semi-truck tractor shall be turned off immediately, and warm-up time shall not exceed twenty (20) minutes.

(c)   Every person convicted of a violation of any of the provisions of this section, for the first conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine of not more than $100, and for a subsequent conviction within one (1) year thereafter shall be punished by a fine of not more than $200.  Upon a third or subsequent conviction within a one (1) year period after the first conviction such person shall be punished by a fine of not more than $500, provided however, that each day of violation constitutes a new separate offense.

(Ord. 89-6, Secs. 1:3; Ord. 2009-05; Ord. 2010-02, Sec. 1)

Every motor vehicle shall be equipped, maintained and operated so as to prevent excessive or unusual noise. Every motor vehicle at all times shall be equipped with a muffler or other effective noise suppressing system in good working order and in constant operation, and no person shall use a muffler cut out, by-pass, or other similar device.  No person shall use or operate a Jake-brake or other mechanical exhaust device designed to aid in the stopping or braking of a motor vehicle, in a manner so as to create excessive, loud, or unusually explosive noises from a motor vehicle.

(Ord. 95-38, Sec. 1; Ord. 2010-03, Sec. 1; Ord. 2010-07, Sec. 1)

No person shall park or stand for any period of time, any nonmotorized item of personal property not attached to a motor vehicle on any street, avenue, boulevard, thoroughfare, trafficway, highway, alley, municipal parking lot or any other public way used for vehicular travel.  If an item of personal property is attached to a motor vehicle by a means so as to allow the motor vehicle to tow or pull the personal property, the personal property may only park or stand on a public way when so attached to the motor vehicle for a period of time not to exceed 72 hours, after which time the personal property must be removed from the public way.  For the purpose of this section, personal property shall be defined as, and include, all boats, nonmotorized trailers of any type, campers, farm equipment and machinery, and all other personal property that does not have its own motive power.

(Ord. 2010-04, Sec. 1)

(a)   No person operating a motor vehicle on a street, highway, alley, parking lot, or driveway shall operate or permit the operation of any sound amplification systems from within the motor vehicle so that the sound is audible at a distance of 100 or more feet from the motor vehicle. 

(b)   Definitions.  For the purposes of this section: 

Audible - means any sound produced by a sound amplification system from within a motor vehicle which can be heard at a distance of 100 feet or more.  Measurement standards shall be by the auditory senses, based upon direct line of sight.  Words or phrases need not be discernable and bass reverberations are included.  The motor vehicle may be stopped, standing, parked, or moving on a street, highway, alley, parking lot, or driveway.

Sound amplification system - means any radio, tape player, compact disc player, loud speaker, or other electronic device used for the amplification of sound.

(c)   Defense to Prosecution.  It is an affirmative defense to a charge under this section that the operator of the motor vehicle was not otherwise prohibited by law from operating the sound amplification system, and that any of the following apply:

(1)   The system was being operated to request medical or vehicular assistance or to warn of a hazardous road condition;

(2)   The motor vehicle was an emergency or public safety vehicle;

(3)   The system was used for the purpose of giving instruction, directions, talks, addresses, lectures, or transmitting music to any person or assemblage of persons in compliance with ordinances of the city; or

(4)   The motor vehicle was used in authorized public activities, such as parades, fireworks, sporting events, municipal productions, and other activities which have the approval of the city.

(d)   Penalties.  Every person convicted of a violation of this section, for a first conviction, the fine shall be $50; and for a second or subsequent conviction, the fine shall be $100.

(Ord. 2010-08, Sec. 1)