Waking up one morning or coming back from work only to find cars parked in front of your house can be annoying. Sometimes, most of these car owners might even block your driveway, preventing you from entering or leaving your driveway.
The easy way to handle people that love parking their cars in front of your house is not to destroy their cars. Doing so can land you in much bigger trouble. Instead, you can have their cars towed.
Now, the question is, how can you get a car parked in front of your house towed? If you’re here to find answers to this question, you have come to the right place. Continue reading to learn more.
How To Tell if You Can Tow Someone For Parking in Front of Your House?
Though laws on vehicle towing vary from state to state, there are scenarios where you might have the upper hand. So, here’s how you can discern if you can tow a car parked in front of your house successfully.
1. The car was parked somewhere on the private but residential property
If a vehicle is parked outside your house on your property, having it towed is a possibility. You can contact the relevant authority and have the vehicle towed. Again, it doesn’t matter if the person whose car is parked in front of your house and on your private property lives a block away.
As long as the vehicle is on your private, residential property, you can have it towed. In states like Washington DC, vehicles parked on residential or private properties are towed immediately.
2. A vehicle parked in front of your house for more than 72 hours
Does your town boast a 72-hour Parking Ordinance? If yes, here’s how it works and how you can use it to your advantage.
If there’s a vehicle parked in front of your house for over 72 hours, and the vehicle owner isn’t a neighbor that lives adjacent to your house, you can get in touch with the local police authority to come and intervene.
The police would inspect the vehicle and either issue a ticket or have the vehicle towed. But all these would happen after inspecting the vehicle, as chances are the vehicle could have been stolen.
So, if there’s a vehicle belonging to someone you don’t know that’s parked in front of your property, you have a better chance of towing that vehicle. So, go ahead and contact the police.
A Handy Tip: Note that if the vehicle parked outside your house belongs to a neighbor that lives adjacent to your house, calling the police or towing company would be a waste of your time. If you’re not comfortable with how the vehicle got parked, kindly speak to the neighbor about it.
3. The vehicle is blocking your driveway
If there’s a vehicle blocking your driveway, you can contact the towing company and have it towed. But then, consider if the car is sitting on your private property.
Now, what if the vehicle is parked on the public street but blocking your driveway? Can you have such a car towed? Yes, you can.
Police officers, community service officers, and parking enforcement can help you out in such a scenario. If they arrive at the location and find the car still parked and blocking your driveway, they’ll have it towed.
Just keep in mind that the authorities will step in and settle the issue one way or another. You don’t have to tow the vehicle yourself, as doing so could land you in big trouble.
If the car gets damaged, the owner can sue you for that. Even if you use a towing company to move the car, you could still be in trouble. By the way, you contacted the towing company. So, if the person’s car gets damaged or stolen, keep in mind that the towing company might blame you.
So, how should you respond in such a scenario? Contact the police. If the vehicle gets towed by the police, the violator won’t be able to do anything. Do not react by contacting a towing company to remove a vehicle parked on the public street but blocking your driveway.
When you contact the police, they’ll contact the towing company. If anything happens to the vehicle, the police would be ready to back up the towing company.
4. A vehicle parked in private but non-residential property
You have signage mounted at the property entrance, stating that you don’t want anyone to park their vehicle there. Yet, the people living around the property keep flaunting your orders.
Well, it doesn’t matter how close their residences are to your private property. If you want to impound vehicles parked in your private, non-residential property, you can do so with ease.
Again, don’t act like you’re above the law. Contact the police, and let them contact the towing company on your behalf. It’s only a matter of time. They’ll eventually come around and impound the car parked on your property.
What Should You Do If Someone Parks Over Your Driveway?
It’s so irritating how most people behave. They’ll leave their cars on someone else’s driveway without even minding the inconveniences they’re causing.
Now, what should you do when you wake up in the morning or come back from work only to find someone’s car parked over your driveway? Well, as humans, we sometimes let our emotions get the best of us. But that shouldn’t be the case.
You’re angry, and yes, you should. But please, don’t allow emotions to get the best of you. Don’t go attacking the owner of the car or starting a fight. Remain calm and do the right thing.
Again, don’t make the mistake of towing the vehicle yourself. The police would even advise you not to do so. You could be sued for any damages to the vehicle.
Instead, contact the police and wait for them to come around and tow the car by themselves.
Can You Legally Stop Someone Parking Outside Your House?
Is it your private property or a public street? Either way, please don’t make the mistake of stopping anyone from parking. If it’s your private property, allow the person to finish parking and approach them calmly.
Talk to them amicably, but if they’re proving stubborn, you can either leave and call the police or threaten to call the police on the person. It’s your private property, so legally; you can have their vehicle impounded for parking there.
What should you do if the person is parking on the public street outside your house? Well, in this case, you can only do little. It’s a public area, so the person is within their rights to park there.
However, if the vehicle is obstructing your driveway or entrance to your house, channel your complaint to the police. If there’s something they can do to help, they’ll let you know. If the person is within their rights and the police can’t do anything, you will be duly notified by the police officers.
But please, don’t make the mistake of confronting someone parking his car in front of your house. You could get into a fight with the person, or they might knock you down with their vehicle by mistake.
How Can I Stop My Neighbor From Parking in Front of My House?
You can deploy several creative ways to discourage your neighbors from parking in front of your house. But the truth is, if they parked on a public street, you can’t do much about it.
So, what best can you do when a neighbor parks in front of your house? Try dialoguing with the person. Let them know how their constant parking in front of your house affects you and your family adversely.
If they don’t take correction, don’t pick a fight with them. Ignore and file a nuisance complaint against them. However, most people may prefer filing a police report.
But, what if your neighbor parks on your private property? If so, then it’s obvious the person is looking for trouble. Please don’t fight with them or confront them angrily. Just head straight to the police and lay your complaint. You can call them or visit the local police station in person.
Is It Illegal To Block Your Own Driveway?
The legality of this situation differs from state to state. Most state laws prohibit people from blocking their driveway. It’s your driveway, but then, what if an emergency occurs and the ambulance can’t get through because your car is blocking the driveway? Of course, the outcome could be devastating.
So, yes, it’s illegal to block your driveway in most states. And in such states, you could be cited for such an offense.
Conclusion
This article highlights how you can get a car towed from in front of your house. You can reach out to the towing company requesting to have someone’s car towed, but know that the company will blame you when the car owner press charges.
So, it’s better to contact the police, let them contact the towing company on your behalf. We also discussed other things you need to know about neighbors parking cars in front of your house and what you should know.