In accordance with Riverside Municipal Code Section 5.9.11.040(E)(5), the following City’s manager current list clarifies the common types of items that, in the experience of City staff, individuals regularly abandon during abatement, and there is no contrary indication as to the specific item.
- Identifying abandoned personal property
- Temporarily unattended property is different from abandoned property, which may be immediately discarded. In determining if property is abandoned, staff should evaluate the facts and circumstances surrounding the items. Unattended property is not abandoned if it is accompanied by signs of ownership – for example, an unattended tent that is filled with personal belongings or items that are being stored in an orderly manner (i.e., packed up, wrapped or covered).
- By contrast, abandoned items are unaccompanied by objective indications of ownership, for example, an empty or broken tent sitting by itself on a sidewalk with no other belongings, a bag of clothes open and strewn across a sidewalk, or items that are broken, disheveled, surrounded by trash or show other signs of neglect.
- In addition, if there is a third-party present who states they have been designated by the owner to watch or secure the items during the owner’s temporary absence, the items are not abandoned and are attended property.
- Items that will be discarded. Items that present an immediate health or safety risk:
- Toxic sharps: needles, scissors, knives; chemicals: bleach, paint, oils, etc.
- Items (including bedding and clothing) soiled by infectious materials, such as human waste, body fluids, mold, mildew, and mud
- Items infested by rodents and insects, such as rats, mice, fleas, lice, bed bugs. Note: If personal belongings are co-mingled or littered with needles, human waste or other health risks, staff may dispose of the entire pile of belongings and are not required to sort through and attempt to remove the health or safety risks.
Note: If personal belongings are co-mingled or littered with needles, human waste or other health risks, staff may dispose of the entire pile of belongings and are not required to sort through and attempt to remove the health or safety risks
- Perishable items, perishable food.
- Contraband, illegal items. Refer to the Riverside Police Department.
- Trash, garbage and/or debris. This includes property that appears to have been discarded by its owner and broken appliances or broken furniture.
- Abandoned property. Abandoned property is property that does not have any signs of ownership or does not appear to have any value or use. Examples of abandoned property may include a broken tent sitting by itself on a sidewalk with no other belongings, clothes that are strewn across a sidewalk or other area, broken items and trash.
- Shopping carts are subject to RMC 9.58. However, personal property inside a shopping cart shall be evaluated in accordance with this policy. Public Works is responsible for picking up abandoned shopping carts.