Meter maids in Escondido, California will soon be ticketing motorists who park on their own property. The city yesterday gave preliminary approval to an ordinance that authorizes both meter maids and police to ticket any vehicle stopped on private property with two wheels touching a surface that is not approved by the city for parking purposes.

The move was designed to help the "image and appearance" of the community while avoiding "the cumbersome need for a twenty-four hour waiting period." This means police will no longer be required to speak with the person responsible and offer an opportunity to correct the problem. Instead, the city can immediately collect $40 from "around the clock" ticketing efforts.

Lawn parking became an issue after the city council announced its intention to ban overnight parking on city streets, leaving some motorists with no place to leave their automobile. The move could generate as much as $200,000 in parking tickets in addition to revenue from parking permits.

The definition of "lawn parking" includes any parking on inconspicuous side lots that happen not to be paved. The ordinance also makes a third violation a misdemeanor crime.

A complete copy of the proposed ordinance is available in a 1.8mb PDF file at the source link below.