PORTLAND Hours. (KPTV) – A major rule change for the Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) goes into effect Tuesday.

PBOT can now tow cars without notice if the cars do not have at least one visible license plate or VIN.

PBOT said that since the pandemic, they have seen an increase in people removing their license plates, even hiding their VINs to make them unidentifiable to parking enforcement and to avoid liability for parking violations or other laws. The purpose of the new policy is primarily to address this behavior.

For some, the cars and trailers on the side of the road are their homes and they are worried about how this new rule will affect them.

In Southeast Portland, a stretch of Foster Road is lined with campers, trailers and cars that people like Melody Jones live in.

“We used to be on 102 and Ankeny, but we moved here a few days ago, it was too busy up there,” Jones said.

Jones often sweeps the sidewalk where he is parked. She said she wanted to make the space as beautiful as possible for her granddaughter. Jones and her family are waiting to be approved for an apartment voucher. In the meantime, they live in trailers. Some have license plates, some don’t.

I asked Jones if he had heard about the new PBOT rule.

“No, no, I haven’t heard anything about it,” Jones said, “I don’t think it’s right and I don’t think it’s right.”

Jones said for many people in Portland, these unlicensed cars and trailers are all they have.

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On Jones Street, there are several unlicensed trailers and cars in the neighborhood. Several homeowners said they support the rule change and hope it will clean up their neighborhood. Others say the rule goes too far.

“Honestly, I feel like they should be given notice,” said John, a Southeast Portland homeowner, “maybe 72 hours is too long, but I think it’s inhumane to tow them away without notice.”

PBOT said this new rule will help parking enforcement officers quickly clear vehicles that violate city code. They said they don’t want to take someone’s house.

The PBOT issued a statement on the issue that read in part;

“This does NOT change how the city operates to address public health or vehicle occupant safety issues. PBOT works with The street services coordination center and the Impact Reduction Program on criteria and decisions on how the city responds to concerns about people living in vehicles on city streets.”

“I don’t think anyone takes off completely, we always leave someone with the trailer in case something like that happens. They don’t go far,” Jones said.

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