Board sets public hearing for inoperable-vehicle ordinance (Ord. 2025‑6) after sheriff seeks streamlined removal process

The Amherst County Board of Supervisors voted Sept. 2 to set Ordinance 2025‑6 (inoperable motor vehicles) for public hearing Oct. 21 after Sheriff Ayers described a revised, streamlined process for removing abandoned or inoperable vehicles from private property.

Sheriff Ayers told the board he and code‑enforcement staff worked to simplify a process that had required repeated notices. The proposed ordinance would use a single standard notice giving property owners 10 days to abate a vehicle or bring it into compliance. If the owner does not act, the county would notify a designated tow/auto‑parts operator, Virginia Auto Parts, to remove and store the vehicle at a site off Rices Shop Road for five days; the owner then must contact the operator to retrieve it, after which the operator may apply for a destruction title.

Why it matters: Staff said the change is intended to reduce repetitive fieldwork for officers and speed removal of abandoned or inoperable vehicles from properties. The procedure gives owners an initial 10‑day cure period and establishes a contracted removal and storage workflow.

Board action: Supervisor Wade moved to set Ordinance 2025‑6 for public hearing on Oct. 21, 2025; the motion passed by voice vote.

What’s next: Ordinance 2025‑6 will be heard Oct. 21; staff and the sheriff’s office will proceed with the public‑notice and hearing process.