Arizona Town Is Attacking The Fundamental Right Of Car Enthusiasts To Own Inoperable Vehicles

Image: Rory Carroll

Gilbert, Arizona has decided that your race car is ugly and it should be hidden from sight at all times. The southeast suburb of Phoenix is packed with sprawl and is adding more people to its population seemingly every day. As more people move in to more planned and gated communities, the city has decided to put on its best “Karen” impression and tell the people who live there what they can do in the privacy of their own driveways and backyards. The city’s newly clarified anti-blight rule determines that nobody can keep an inoperable vehicle on their property for longer than 15 days, even if the vehicle is hidden in your back yard.

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While there is technically no limit to the number of vehicles that can be parked on a Gilbert residence property, the new rule says that all vehicles parked outside must be capable of “being legally driven,” started, and moved under its own power. Additionally, any inoperable vehicles must be registered to a resident of the home and completely screened from public view.

Further, the rule clarifies that any Gilbert resident is only allowed three such inoperative car periods per year, so you’d better hope that your car doesn’t break down in a way that requires you to order parts or find a mobile mechanic to do the work. If your car breaks down four times in a year, you’re better off just taking it to the junk yard and trading it in for scrap value, because the Gilbert Gestapo is going to haul it off anyway.

So, if you have a race car, for example, that is not street legal, you’re kind of boned. Even if you park the car in your back yard or side yard, completely screened from view, your neighbors can report you to the local constabulary and have it forcibly removed from you after 15 stationary days.

According to the current town Code of Ordinances, the “town’s authority to abate should owner or responsible party not correct the violation within 30 days” would include assessing a lien against the property for the costs of abatement. So not only would the city take your vehicle, but it would charge you for the experience. And if you can’t pay, might eventually be able to take your house altogether.

If you want to keep a race car or project car in Gilbert, you’d better keep it in your garage, or build a bigger one. The town council reassured HOA Presidents that it can enforce even stricter regulations for automotive blight if they so choose.