Current Events > Does this sign (and signs like this) carry any sort of legal weight?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Here's the way I see it; there are surely signs out there where you can get towed/ticketed, like private parking, apartment complexes, business lots, etc. I have no argument against those being ticketable.

But ones like the one I attached have me curious. Just today I was at a popular lunch spot for a bunch of businesses in the area. This spot was the only one open within any reasonable distance, and I could see that the place directly next to Caribou (Naf Naf Grill) had no line. So I said screw it, went in, got my food, came out in like 6-7 minutes. No tickets or warnings or anything.

My question is, the sign itself doesn't actually say the 10 minutes have to be spent carrying out from Caribou specifically. The logo is there, sure, but it doesn't say "10 minute carry out from caribou only." The presence of the logo does not legally mean the sign only applies to Caribou. It's just there. Perhaps it's sponsorship, akin to a billboard.

What are your thoughts? Did I break the "law" by not going to Caribou but still leaving within 10 minutes? Would I have broken the "law" if I stayed longer than 10 minutes?

What's your take on this? The "10 minute carry out" part is clear, but it's not clear as to whether or not the parker is required to go to caribou only (again, from a "legal" perspective).
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I think it pretty clearly means Caribou customers only. With that being said the sign carries no legal weight. At worst the manager might have the power to tow you.
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AABLMD82 posted...

I think it pretty clearly means Caribou customers only.

I agree it implies that, but it does not explicitly say that. It's just a Caribou logo.

AABLMD82 posted...

With that being said the sign carries no legal weight.

At worst the manager might have the power to tow you.

These two sentences contradict each other; what right does the manager have to tow me when I'm not breaking the law?
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I liked the one sign we used to have around in a shopping plaza. "Go to Hooters, get towed." I wish I had a picture of those.
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Theres plenty of situations where you can be towed while not breaking any laws.
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Pretty sure only signs put up by the government actually carry legal weight. That sign gives no penalty, it's just asking people to please not take up spaces that should go to customers for the place it's in front of.

bump
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Muffinz0rz posted...

AABLMD82 posted...

I think it pretty clearly means Caribou customers only.

I agree it implies that, but it does not explicitly say that. It's just a Caribou logo.

AABLMD82 posted...

With that being said the sign carries no legal weight.

At worst the manager might have the power to tow you.

These two sentences contradict each other; what right does the manager have to tow me when I'm not breaking the law?

Because parking lots are considered private property.
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AABLMD82 posted...

At worst the manager might have the power to tow you.

if its on private property i'm pretty sure they can have you towed for any reason at any time.
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NickDWolfwood posted...

Muffinz0rz posted...

AABLMD82 posted...

I think it pretty clearly means Caribou customers only.

I agree it implies that, but it does not explicitly say that. It's just a Caribou logo.

AABLMD82 posted...

With that being said the sign carries no legal weight.

At worst the manager might have the power to tow you.

These two sentences contradict each other; what right does the manager have to tow me when I'm not breaking the law?

Because parking lots are considered private property.

The thing is, the lot serves several entities; a popular downtown transit stop, along with a Culver's, Chipotle, a Thai place, Noodles & Co., NafNaf/Caribou, and a few other random places. They all share the same big lot.

I feel like one specific business doesn't own that lot, and rather the city does.
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I feel like one specific business doesn't own that lot, and rather the city does.

The businesses don't own the building or the lot. They lease and can probably lease spots or request reserved parking near their building and the property owner grants them rights to request towing. Same with an apartment building. You don't own the building or the parking but you sure as hell can get towed for not having a sticker in your window.
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Most of the signs here would say parking for caribou customers ONLY. Then warn you will be towed
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Ranting Nord posted...

I feel like one specific business doesn't own that lot, and rather the city does.

The businesses don't own the building or the lot. They lease and can probably lease spots or request reserved parking near their building and the property owner grants them rights to request towing. Same with an apartment building. You don't own the building or the parking but you sure as hell can get towed for not having a sticker in your window.

Which makes sense, but the sign in the OP still doesn't make it clear whether it's a "suggestion" or a "ticketable/towable offense."

spudger posted...

Most of the signs here would say parking for caribou customers ONLY. Then warn you will be towed

This is very clearly a ticketable/towable warning.
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Giant_Aspirin posted...

if its on private property i'm pretty sure they can have you towed for any reason at any time.

Most places require notice if there's towing on an ostensibly public lot.
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Serious Cat posted...

Giant_Aspirin posted...

if its on private property i'm pretty sure they can have you towed for any reason at any time.

Most places require notice if there's towing on an ostensibly public lot.

So feasibly the Caribou manager would have to walk into every single store (there are upwards of 10 restaurants) and ask for the car owner?
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Giant_Aspirin posted...

AABLMD82 posted...

At worst the manager might have the power to tow you.

if its on private property i'm pretty sure they can have you towed for any reason at any time.

Yup
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Muffinz0rz posted...

So feasibly the Caribou manager would have to walk into every single store (there are upwards of 10 restaurants) and ask for the car owner?

No. Local regulations vary but where I am and a few other places I've looked at require that it be clearly posted that it's a towing zone and have the name and number of the towing company posted on the premises. Despite what others have said, almost nowhere allows an owner of an otherwise public lot to tow cars at will with no notice for no reason.
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What about all of those "If you drown in our pool, we aren't responsible!" signs?

If the parking lot is private property, it essentially means that the owner can have your car towed for any reason at any time on their whim and at your cost and you have to deal with it with the law being on their side. They would not tow a customer in their store that was in their establishment for a while, and is essentially a safeguard for obvious examples of the manager seeing someone park there and walk elsewhere, or someone being parked there for a very long time, especially if we're talking about an example of the place being right next door to a much more popular place that has no available parking spots in their lot.

tl;dnr - if the parking lot is private property, the store can have your car towed by a private service for any reason at any time.
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K181 posted...

If the parking lot is private property, it essentially means that the owner can have your car towed for any reason at any time on their whim and at your cost and you have to deal with it with the law being on their side.

No it doesn't, no it doesn't, no it doesn't, and no it isn't and especially not in a publicly accessible lot. This is usually regulated on a state level. You can't just tow a car in California or Florida or Texas or Pennsylvania or Idaho or Alabama or feel free to Google private property towing laws in the jurisdiction of your choice. The exceptions are typically if they're in a fire lane or otherwise blocking the driveway, in a marked tow-away zone, or is an abandoned vehicle.
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Serious Cat posted...

Muffinz0rz posted...

So feasibly the Caribou manager would have to walk into every single store (there are upwards of 10 restaurants) and ask for the car owner?

No. Local regulations vary but where I am and a few other places I've looked at require that it be clearly posted that it's a towing zone and have the name and number of the towing company posted on the premises. Despite what others have said, almost nowhere allows an owner of an otherwise public lot to tow cars at will with no notice for no reason.

Yeah I haven't been back in a few days but I don't remember a single sign being posted anywhere with any sort of "towing company" information.
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