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How long can a car stay parked before being cited or towed?

CBS 8 brought a La Mesa residents concerns to the police and found out if anything can be done for a row of cars parked on the street for months.

SAN DIEGO — A viewer from La Mesa reached out to us and showed us a row of cars that haven’t moved for months.

CBS 8 brought his concerns to the La Mesa Police Department and found out if anything can be done. The car owner told us he has at least nine cars parked on the street.

"I'm a mechanic and I just love cars. I know it's a little bit out of the ordinary. I have cars other places but these are the ones I keep," he said.

It's bothersome to some neighbors.

"They're cluttering the street, they're an eyesore and old," said a neighbor.

The neighbor said he's lived in the neighborhood for nine years. He told CBS 8 he's made several police reports over the past year but the cars are still on the street.

"The reason I contacted working for you was I've seen a couple of your stories and thought maybe that's an avenue for us to take," he said. 

We looked up the parking laws in La Mesa and found out, "vehicles may not be parked in the same place for more than 72 hours without being moved."

Next CBS 8 contacted the police. They said they've responded to the street numerous times but the owner reparks the cars after the police mark them.

"If our marks indicate the vehicle has moved we can't necessarily tow the vehicle or cite the vehicle," said Lt. Katy Lynch with the La Mesa Police Department.

She said as long as the car is moved within 72 hours of being marked then it can't be cited or towed.

"I plan on selling a lot of them. Hopefully they go quick but it's not like I'm going to buy anymore I'm going to probably continue buying cars there's nothing you can do about it. It's just a passion of mine," the owner said.

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