The tougher-on-drivers enforcement many have been clamoring for is taking a step forward.
The Portland Bureau of Transportation just announced that their parking enforcement squad will now “order an automatic tow for any vehicle that does not have a visible vehicle identification number (VIN) and does not display at least one license plate.” This type of enforcement is key to combatting the creeping sense of lawlessness and “anything goes” mentality among a growing number of drivers.
In a statement today, PBOT said recent changes in city code give them the authority to take this step. It comes about four months after PBOT announced the hiring of 22 new parking enforcement officers and made a notable change in tone in how they talk about enforcing these kind of laws. The move is also likely related to the growing problem of abandoned RVs and other vehicles that clog and clutter the public right-of-way. “Allowing for an automatic tow will help parking enforcement officers more quickly clear vehicles in violation of city code from the public right-of-way – including abandoned autos,” reads the PBOT statement.
Being able to track vehicles to a specific owner in the case a crime was committed and making sure folks have visible license plates for enforcement cameras and other identification reasons, is a big part of making our streets safer. In addition to these and right-of-way issues mentioned by PBOT, this move also gets at a very necessary change in driving culture many folks who care about road safety have been talking about for years.
Culture change is hard and some folks think it’s not a battle worth fighting. But I disagree! Driving and owning a car is an immense responsibility and doing it wrong can have deadly consequences. The increase in drivers who cover their plates and/or don’t have a plate at all is a very troubling trend. There’s a growing sense that we need to see cars as deadly weapons and regulate them as such. Getting tougher on towing is a step in that direction.
If you see an illegally parked car, truck or other type of vehicle in the public right-of-way, you can report it to the Parking Enforcement Division by calling 503-823-5195 on Monday to Friday from 6:15 a.m. to 11:15 p.m., Saturday from 8:15 a.m. to 11:15 p.m., and Sunday from 8:45 a.m. to 11:15 p.m. All other times, contact Police non-emergency at 503-823-3333.
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Call me pedantic, but I’m looking for clarity in whether the “and” was intentional in “order an automatic tow for any vehicle that does not have a visible vehicle identification number (VIN) and does not display at least one license plate.” The header of the statement uses an “or,” so it’s not immediately clear if there’s either no VIN or license plate the vehicle is subject to tow, or if it has to be missing both of those features. Either way, it’s a good step, but the former will be much more impactful than the latter.
The code update says
I just realized my van does not have a visible VIN (its a RHD Japanese import). But its road legal, being over 25 years old, registered, and has both plates.
EDIT: oops, no its fine as long as I have plates.
It seems like not having VIN and no plates would be pretty rare?
lot of stolen cars with obscured vin’s and invalid plates.
Just hope nobody steals your license plates. You might make a very small investment in tamper resistant screws/bolts to attach plates to your vehicle.
Everyone should do this. I’ve had plates stolen twice, and we can expect plate theft to increase with this new policy. I didn’t have issues after installing the theft resistant fasteners.
Haha. Good one. Try coming out to outer east Portland some time. They are all over the place; mostly at the homeless camps.
Does PBOT consider those license plate covers designed to defeat automated traffic enforcement as part of the “Not display at least one license plate” policy?
I wish they would, Travis. Mostly it’s Teslas in my neighborhood with tinted plate covers that make it impossible to read the number from any distance.
I wish cops would crack down on covered plates.
Portland city code 16.30.220 also says a vehicle may be towed without notice when “impeding or likely to impede the normal flow of vehicular or pedestrian traffic”. Vehicular traffic includes bicycles. No points for guessing whether the city will take a similarly assertive stance on keeping bike lanes clear of illegally parked cars.
“order an automatic tow for any vehicle that does not have a visible vehicle identification number (VIN) and does not display at least one license plate.”
If you’ve got to meet BOTH of these criteria to get an automatic tow, it’s not going to make a difference at all. Within ten minutes, criminals will figure out that sticking a stolen plate on the car will let it stay put. PBOT never even checks if the plate matches the vehicle or if it’s stolen. Hard to believe, I know, but there you go…just more dysfunction here in Portland, unfortunately.
One person’s “dysfunction” is another person’s due process. The Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits the states from depriving “any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
The “and condition” is an exceptional case that aims to target a specific set of circumstances and a very small group of people, who for whatever reason aren’t doing the bare minimum to stay within our city laws.
Yes, criminals and scofflaws have rights. At least for now. This is why voting matters. Vote for well educated, smart people who are willing and able to respond to public problems without running roughshod over citizen’s constitutional rights.
You might think you want this when someone else is the problem, but if you or your loved ones are ever accused of socially problematic behaviors someday, the first thing you’ll do is get a lawyer, perhaps a even a public defender, to defend your rights to due process.
mc,
Yeah, due process is real, and the 14th Amendment matters, but it doesn’t really apply here. The amendment protects people from losing their property or rights without a fair legal process—but this policy is just about making sure cars have a visible VIN and plates. If a car has neither, it’s usually because it’s unregistered, stolen, or otherwise shady.
This isn’t about taking away people’s stuff without reason. Owners can still prove the car is legit and get it back. It’s targeted at a specific situation—obscured VIN and no plates—so it’s not stepping on anyone’s rights. The goal is basic safety and accountability, not running over due process.
The whole point with due process is that the burden of proof is on the government. You are innocent until proven guilty, not presumed guilty but you have the opportunity to prove your innocence.
Amen. Civil rights are our birthright, even for criminals.
Looks like flatting tires is still the best way to get rid of problem cars.
No way! That was such BS – basically REQUIRING people to flatten tires or remove the plates to get CoP to do anything. I thought that’s exactly what the new ordinance is designed to avoid.
I hope this can be done in a way that improves any safety issues while still being sensitive to the context of the state of the vehicle and those who rely on it
I think that approach is what got us into this mess. It seems Portland has shown that the “hands off” approach doesn’t work well.
Shouldn’t matter. All too often drunks have been able to keep their cars because, boo hoo, they might have to walk to their job or some other non-sense.
Can’t do the simple task of keeping your tags up-to-date then it should be towed, with no exceptions.
I have a f’ing neighbor who has a dozen broken down Cameros (I’m no car expert so just guessing) that neighbor after neighbor has complained about. Let’s hope this causes all of them to be towed far far away!
I really hope the enforcement mechanism is more proactive, and doesn’t primarily rely on citizen reporting. Citizen reporting is really only going to identify those vehicles that the neighbors are probably already fed up with. I’d like to see the crackdown expanded to other illegal vehicles too. There are tons more 3rd or 4th household vehicles that are unregistered and basically live rent free on the street because there’s no impetus for their owners to do anything about their junk.
As a data point (admittedly unscientifically obtained): On a ride down NE Prescott recently, I counted how many cars I saw on my side of the street that had expired, missing, defaced, or otherwise illegally obscured plates/tags. 18 out of 40 vehicles between 82nd and 42nd on the public RoW were non-compliant. Most of the compliant vehicles were temporarily parked next to businesses (near NE 72nd and near NE Cully). Not only are we sacrificing our public space for free storage of private property, a huge slice of that private property is illegal.
They should tow all Oregon registered vehicles displaying only one plate. By my observation, half of Tesla drivers choose not to mount a front plate. Plenty of Corvettes, Audis and Jaguars, too. Wealth appears to have its privileges.
Isn’t it Oregon law to have both plates?
Also, will they tow if the car is inhabited?
Let’s hope so as there should be no exceptions whatsoever.
If one can’t follow the rules, then they need to pay the consequences of their actions.
Jonathan, you wrote “ squad will now order an automatic tow…” I inferred from the announcement that they were saying they “can” order a tow. Can you verify that when traffic enforcement finds a vehicle without a plate/VIN it automatically calls for a tow?
Michael,
Seems like nothing happens “automatically” in Portland when it comes to services provided by our local government. I’ll believe it when I see it.
I wish they would ticket folks who put tint over their license plates.
It’s ludicrous Portland doesn’t have a “311” for reporting graffiti, dumped trash, illegal cars, etc. SF has had one since 2014 at least. LA too. They’re not perfect, but having to call in and describe the vehicle or whatever? What a joke
Storing your car on a public right of way is an infringement on my right to a safe street. You have a right own a car, and a right to transport your property on public streets, but no right to leave it or store it on anyone else’s property, pubic or private.
As a towing referral company, we fully support PBOT’s commitment to stricter enforcement. Clear and visible vehicle identification helps keep our streets safer for everyone, and addressing abandoned vehicles is an important step in ensuring public spaces remain accessible. It’s good to see the city taking this proactive approach to improving road safety and encouraging responsible vehicle ownership. Thanks for the update—here’s to making our community safer and more organized! If you’re ever in Central Oregon and need top-notch towing services, feel free to reach out to us.