WESTLAKE VILLAGE : City Plans to Regulate Mobile Car Washers

Due to concerns over safety and public solicitation, the Westlake Village City Council took the first step this week toward regulating car washers and detailers who operate from the backs of pickup trucks or in parking lots.

At its meeting Wednesday, the council approved the wording of an ordinance requiring mobile car washers to obtain permits to operate within the city, which would subject them to state and county regulations on water use and disposal.

The ordinance also would ban commercial washing and detailing on public streets and, in some cases, require washers to get business owners’ permission to operate on commercial lots. The council is scheduled to consider approval of the measure June 9.

Some business owners and city officials worry that the unlicensed detailers and washers, who use everything from buckets of water to generator-powered hoses, could pose a safety hazard in the parking lots and other sites where they operate.

“There are some concerns about issues of safety, water purification and dumping,” said Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce President Steve Rubenstein, who helped Thousand Oaks officials draft a similar ordinance. “We also think there needs to be some parity between these car washers and car wash businesses who have a lot of regulations on them.”

If the ordinance is approved, auto detailers and the estimated half-dozen or more mobile car washers also would be required to pay the city about $125 for the permits. The ordinance would not affect car washes for charity.