Muncie residents press committee on front‑yard parking, officials explain enforcement process

Several Muncie residents told the Land and Traffic Committee that boats, trailers and trucks have been parked in front yards for long periods and that they were told the city could not enforce the ordinance. The building commissioner and Muncie police described how enforcement works, where authority rests, and how residents can document and report problems.

The complaint came from a resident who said the city’s parking ordinance "prohibits parking in the front yards" and that some neighbors had vehicles that "haven't been moved in a year and a half." Building Commissioner Richard Rawlings and police officials told the committee the rules still exist, but that different kinds of parking and vehicle problems fall to different offices and, in some cases, to state law.

The distinction matters because abandoned‑vehicle cases are handled under state code while front‑yard parking and other improper parking are enforced under the city’s ordinance. Chief Sloan of the…