CITY OF NEW BUFFALO BERRIEN COUNTY, MICHIGAN
ORDINANCE NO. 279
At a regular meeting of the City Council for the City of New Buffalo held at City Hall on
February 17, 2026 and commencing at 6:30 p.m., the following Ordinance was offered for adoption by Council Member Robertson and was seconded by Mayor Pro-Tem Lijewski:
AN ORDINANCE TO AMEND CHAPTER 10, ARTICLE IV OF THE NEW BUFFALO CITY CODE
THE CITY OF NEW BUFFALO (the “City”) ORDAINS:
Section 1. Amendment. Chapter 10, Article IV of the New Buffalo City Code is hereby amended to read in its entirety as follows:
ARTICLE IV PARKING AND STORING OF MOTOR VEHICLES
For the purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the meaning set forth below unless the context otherwise requires:
Inoperable vehicle means any vehicle that is unable to move under its own power, missing essential components required for safe and lawful operation under state and local laws, or does not have a current and valid vehicle registration as required by state and local laws.
Public street means the entire width between the boundary lines of a right-of-way, including paved and unpaved portions thereof, that is open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel.
Vehicle means any device in, upon, or by which any person or property is or may be transported or drawn upon a highway or street, except devices moved solely by human power or used exclusively on stationary rails or tracks. “Vehicle” shall include, but not be limited to, cars, automobiles, trucks, trailers, and motorcycles.
Section 10-13 Parking and storing of vehicles on public streets.
A. It is unlawful for any person to:
1. Park or store an inoperable vehicle on a public street.
2. Park a vehicle on a public street continuously, without movement, for a period longer than 72 hours.
3. Park a vehicle in violation of a traffic control order promulgated by the City or an authorized City official.
4. Park a vehicle in violation of any City signage, including signs stating, “no parking, “fire lane,” or the like.
5. Park a vehicle continuously on the following public street segments for a period longer than
three hours between 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m., beginning on the Friday immediately before Memorial Day and ending at 5:00 p.m. on Labor Day:
a. Whittaker Street from Michigan Street to Water Street.
b. Barton Street from Buffalo Street, north to railroad right-of-way.
c. Thompson Street from Buffalo Street, north to railroad right-of-way.
d. Mechanic Street from Taylor Street to Barton Street.
e. Merchant Street from Townsend Street to Barton Street.
6. Park a vehicle overnight between Memorial Day and Labor Day on the public street segments listed in subsection A(5), except with a valid overnight parking permit issued pursuant to subsection B.
7. Park a vehicle in the City Beach parking lot without complying with applicable rules established by resolution of the City Council, including the payment of any applicable fees.
8. Park a vehicle on a public street between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m., any day, beginning on October 1st and ending on April 1st.
B. The City Police Department shall implement the following permitting scheme for overnight parking on the public street segments listed in subsection A(5):
1. Permit applications shall be submitted on a form issued by the City, and shall include an application fee in the amount established by resolution of the City Council.
2. Permits shall expire at the end of the calendar year in which they are issued.
Section 10-14 Presumption.
Except as authorized by the City, the failure to move a vehicle from any location set forth in section 10-13 for a continuous period of more than 72 hours shall be presumed to be in violation of this article.
Section 10-15 Violations, penalties, and remedies.
A. A violation of this article constitutes a municipal civil infraction subject to a civil fine as set forth in Section 1-6 of the City Code, in addition to all other costs, damages, expenses, and remedies provided by law.
B. For purposes of this section, “subsequent offense” means a violation of any provision of this article committed by the same person within 12 months of a previous violation of the same or similar provision of the article for which said person admitted responsibility or was adjudged to be responsible. Each day during which any violation continues shall be deemed to be a separate offense.
C. A violation of this article shall also be deemed to be a nuisance per se.
D. In addition to any other remedies provided in this section, the City may also remove and/or impound any vehicle that is in violation of this article in the manner and to the extent permitted by law. The owner of any such vehicle shall pay all costs and expenses relating to the towing and impounding of the vehicle.
Section 2. Severability. Should any word, phrase, sentence, or clause of this Ordinance be declared
by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable, the same shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision or part.
Section 3. Publication and Effective Date. The City Clerk shall cause this Ordinance to be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the City, and the ordinance shall be effective 20 days after its enactment or upon publication, whichever is later.
YEAS: Gear, Knoll, Lijewski, Robertson, Price
NAYS: None
ABSTAIN: None
ABSENT: None
ORDINANCE DECLARED ADOPTED.
Vance Price, Mayor
CERTIFICATION
I, Amy Fidler, the Clerk of the City of New Buffalo, hereby attest that the foregoing is a true and accurate copy of an ordinance adopted by the City Council for the City of New Buffalo, Berrien County, at a meeting of the City Council called and held in accordance with the required statutory procedures.
Amy Fidler, Clerk