OKC Cracking Down On Residents Parking Cars On Grass

A citywide crackdown on illegal parking has some neighbors claiming code enforcement is going too far.

The city claims the number of complaints about cars parked in yards is up right now.

Each year, tall grass is the number one complaint from neighbors in Oklahoma City.

Right now, in the winter, the biggest complaint is over cars parked on grass.

“We have time to do it now because we are not inundated with grass calls,” said OKC Code Enforcement’s Charles Locke.

Locke said cars parked on grass could damage utilities underground. He said they also affect property values.

Right now, the city claims more and more people are trying to increase the space of their driveways by spreading out gravel over grass. That is in violation of the law.

“Disappointed, hurt and anger,” said NE OKC resident W.J. Harris about what he felt when he was cited in January.

Harris said he’s been parking his cars for decades in that same location next to his home without getting a ticket for 27 years.

Harris now has three citations totaling $300.

“I think they should have at least given me the option of putting my cars in a different spot,” said Harris, who thinks first time violators should receive a warning notice.

Code Enforcement said since cars are ticketed and harder to keep tabs on compared to a residence, they don’t issue warnings.  A first-time violator will receive a $100 citation.