LITH Heeds Car Tarp Ban; No Tickets Issued

It appears Lake in the Hills homeowners took the village’s newly adopted restrictions on car tarps seriously.

“We have not issued any tickets as of yet,” Lake in the Hills Community Development Director Dan Olson said in an interview last week. “All (we have inspected) have either removed their vehicle from the property, or they are in compliance with the regulations.”

In January, the Village Board amended the zoning ordinance to require that vehicles covered with tarps be operable and properly licensed.

The amendment aimed to prohibit residents from permanently storing broken-down, unused cars in their driveways.

Some residents had complained to the village that the tarps, some blue and others brown, were unsightly, particularly when homeowners had more than one covered car parked in their driveways.

In approving the amendment, village trustees also required that homeowners must use a commercially manufactured motor vehicle tarp, securely fastened at all times, if they choose to cover their car, Olson said.

The Lake in the Hills Community Development Department began enforcing the amended ordinance shortly after June 1, Olson said.

The community development department had compiled a list of tarp-covered vehicles last winter. Village officials at the time said it was easy to find covered cars throughout all parts of Lake in the Hills.

“There were approximately 55 vehicles covered with tarps that were sent 30-day notices to comply,” Olson said. “We are still going through the list for follow-up inspections and are roughly halfway through the list of 55.”