“Abandoned or unattended shopping cart” means any shopping cart which is left unattended, discarded or abandoned upon any public property other than the premises from which the shopping cart was removed, without the authorization or consent of the cart’s owner.

“Abandoned shopping cart prevention and retrieval plan” shall mean a document required to be submitted by the responsible business owner, pursuant to this chapter.

“Agent” means the person or persons designated by the owner of a shopping cart authorized to perform or provide retrieval services on behalf of the owner. The agent may be the owner, store manager, employee or a private cart retrieval company.

“Director” shall mean the assistant city manager, or director of utilities or director of public works, or the director of community development for the city of San Luis Obispo, or such other director, as designated by the city manager, to administer the appropriate sections of this chapter.

“Occurrence” means the retrieval or impoundment by the city pursuant to this chapter of all shopping carts of an owner in a one-day period.

“Owner” means a person who owns or provides shopping carts for use by customers in connection with the operation of a business. “Person” includes, without limitation, individuals, corporations, partnerships, and all other legal entities, and officers, employees, and authorized agents of an owner.

“Premises” means the entire area owned and utilized by a retail establishment that provides shopping carts for use by customers, including any parking lot or other off-street area provided by an owner, or shared with other retail establishments, for use by customers for parking automobiles or other vehicles.

“Public property” means the outdoor common area of any building, business premises, apartment building or complex, or other premises or portion thereof which is adjacent to public property, open to the public, and which contains a shopping cart or shopping carts visible at street or ground level from the adjacent public property.

“Retail establishment,” with regard to shopping carts, means any business located in the city of San Luis Obispo which offers or provides shopping carts for the use by customers of such business regardless of whether such business is advertised or operated as a retail or wholesale business, and regardless of whether such business is open to the general public, is a private club or business, or is a membership store.

“Shopping cart” means a basket mounted on wheels or a similar device generally used by a customer for the purpose of transporting goods of any kind within a retail establishment or designated parking or loading area of that business establishment. (Ord. 1713 § 2, 2022)