Upon a timely request by the owner of the property on which the vehicle is located
or the owner of the vehicle, a public hearing shall be held on the question of abatement
and removal of the vehicle or part thereof as an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or
inoperative vehicle and the assessment of the administrative costs, including attorney
fees, and the cost of removal of the vehicle or part thereof against the property
on which it is located. This request shall be made in writing to the code enforcement
department within ten (10) days after the mailing of the notice of intention to abate
and remove the vehicle or at the time of signing a release authorizing the removal
and waiving further interest in the vehicle or part thereof. If the owner of the property
on which the vehicle is located submits a sworn statement denying responsibility for
the presence of the vehicle on his or her land within such time period, this statement
shall be construed as a request for hearing which does not require the presence of
the property owner. If the request for a hearing is not received within such period,
the code enforcement department, its employees or designees shall have the authority
to remove or cause the removal of the vehicle.
