Alexandria, VA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Public property limit
- 10 days unattended
- Private property limit
- 72 consecutive hours
- Abandoned definition
- 75+ lbs, 48+ hrs unattended
- Towing charge
- $125
- Storage charge
- $50 per day
- Administrative fee
- $90
- Owner notice deadline
- mailed within 15 days
Summary
Alexandria can order a vehicle towed once it becomes an 'abandoned motor vehicle' or sits unattended past the code's time limits under City Code § 5-8-22. Grounds include ten days unattended on public property, 72 hours on private property without permission, or three or more unpaid parking tickets against the vehicle.
Whenever a motor vehicle: (a) becomes an abandoned motor vehicle; (b) is left unattended on a public street or public property and constitutes a hazard to traffic; (c) is left unattended for more than ten days upon public property without the permission of the city; (d) is left unattended for more than 72 consecutive hours on private property without the permission of the property owner...; (e) is left unattended on a public street or public property, or on private property...and there are three or more unpaid or otherwise unsettled parking violation notices pending against the vehicle; (f) is left unattended in a fire lane or within 15 feet of a fire hydrant or an entrance to a fire station...or (h) is illegally parked, the vehicle may, at the direction of an authorized city official, be removed for safekeeping by city personnel, vehicles and equipment, or by a towing service under contract to the city, to the city impoundment yard or another impoundment facility.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 156 | Zoning: Supplement 103).
Full Breakdown
Section 5-8-21 defines an abandoned motor vehicle as one weighing at least 75 pounds left unattended on public property for more than 48 hours in violation of state or city law, or left on the shoulder of a primary highway. Section 5-8-22 then lists the removal triggers: becoming abandoned, blocking traffic on a public street, sitting more than ten days on public property, sitting more than 72 consecutive hours on private property without the owner's permission (if posted), three-plus unpaid parking violation notices, blocking a fire lane or sitting within 15 feet of a hydrant or fire station entrance, or being illegally parked.
Removal is directed by an 'authorized city official': the chief of police, any sworn police officer, the fire marshal, or a deputy fire marshal. Section 5-8-24 requires the city to mail notice to the vehicle's owner and any lienholder of record within 15 days of impoundment, after running the plate through DMV, crime-database and title-database checks; owners get 15 days to reclaim (120 days for a mobile or manufactured home). Section 5-8-25 sets redemption costs: a $125 towing charge, a $50-per-day storage charge, a $90 administrative fee, and, for vehicles pulled for unpaid tickets, payment of those outstanding tickets.
Paying these charges does not erase liability for the underlying fine or penalty. If a vehicle goes unclaimed, Section 5-8-27 lets the city obtain a DMV vehicle removal certificate and either transfer it directly to a licensee or scrap metal processor when no title record exists, or post a 21-day public notice and sell it at auction.
Violations & Fines
Failing to reclaim a towed vehicle within the notice period does not stop the fees from accruing: towing ($125), storage ($50/day) and the $90 administrative charge all remain owed, plus any parking tickets that triggered the removal. An unclaimed vehicle can be transferred to a scrap processor or sold at public auction after the 21-day posted notice under § 5-8-27, and the owner forfeits all right, title and interest in the vehicle once notice requirements are met.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can an abandoned car sit on an Alexandria street before it's towed?
What does it cost to get a towed vehicle back in Alexandria?
Can the city tow a vehicle from my private driveway or lot?
What happens if nobody claims an impounded vehicle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alexandria
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