Albuquerque Code Section 8-5-2-3 declares a vehicle abandoned if it sits unattended on a public street for 36 hours, on private property without owner consent for 24 hours, or off a private residence's driveway for 36 hours. Inoperable vehicles on private property longer than three days are a public nuisance under Section 8-5-2-9.
Article 5 of Chapter 8 (Traffic Code), Part 2 of Albuquerque's Code of Ordinances governs abandoned and inoperable vehicles. Under Section 8-5-2-3 a vehicle is deemed abandoned when it (a) is parked on any street, alley, or public way and displays no current license plate or validating sticker; (b) is left unattended on any public way in the same place for 36 hours without a valid police sticker; (c) is left on private property without the owner's, tenant's, or occupant's consent for 24 hours; or (d) at a private residence is not lawfully parked on a driveway for at least 36 hours. Section 8-5-2-9 separately makes any inoperable vehicle parked, stored, or left on private property within the city for more than three consecutive days a public nuisance. Reports are filed through the city's 311 system, the Report Abandoned Vehicles online portal at cabq.gov/report-abandoned-vehicles, or by calling 311 from inside Albuquerque. A Solid Waste Management Department enforcement officer or APD officer inspects the vehicle and, if it qualifies, affixes a yellow notification tag. The owner has 7 consecutive days from the day the tag is affixed to remove the vehicle or request a hearing under Section 8-5-2-3, after which Section 8-5-2-4 authorizes summary impoundment by APD or any city officer authorized to enforce parking laws.
Failure to remove a tagged abandoned or inoperable vehicle within 7 days authorizes towing and impoundment at the owner's expense, with daily storage charges and towing fees due before release. The owner is also responsible for the underlying nuisance violation under Section 8-5-2-9, prosecutable in Metropolitan Court with fines up to $500 and costs.
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