Alpharetta, GA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Alpharetta Code §§ 26-19, 26-22
- Abandonment threshold
- 30 days in same location
- Abatement deadline
- 30 days after official notice
- Appeal window
- 15 days to city council
- Forum
- Municipal court
Summary
Alpharetta treats an abandoned, worn-out or junked vehicle on a person's premises, on adjacent city property, or on adjacent vacant land as a nuisance. A vehicle left in the same spot for 30 days or longer without repair or removal qualifies as junk that the city can order abated.
No person shall occupy as owner or occupant or let or sublet to another for occupancy, or keep and maintain, whether in use or abandoned, any vehicle, whether motorized or non-motorized, upon such person's premises or on city property adjacent to such person's premises for any purpose whatsoever which, under the provisions of this article, constitutes a nuisance. ... (a)Any vehicle, whether motorized or non-motorized, which may have one or more of the following defects shall be deemed unfit and as junk and shall constitute a nuisance: ... (4)Those which are abandoned in the same or approximately the same location for 30 days or longer without the owner or person in possession making some repair disposition and removing such vehicle from the premises. ... (b)Any vehicle, premises or place in which one or more of the foregoing defects shall exist shall not be permitted to remain in such condition without the abatement of the nuisance for any period longer than 30 days after service of official notice upon the owner or agent that such conditions exist, except upon the specific written authority of the city council.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 26, Article II of the Alpharetta Code of Ordinances makes it unlawful for an owner or occupant to keep or maintain any motorized or non-motorized vehicle on their premises, or on city property adjacent to it, in a manner that constitutes a nuisance under the article (Sec. 26-19). Section 26-22 lists nine specific defects that make a vehicle junk, including bodies or frameworks too worn out for their original use, vehicles damaged by fire or wind that endanger safety, and vehicles left in the same or approximately the same location for 30 days or longer without the owner making repairs or removing it.
Once one of these defects exists, the vehicle, premises, or place cannot remain in that condition for more than 30 days after the enforcement officer serves official notice, unless the city council specifically authorizes otherwise in writing. The enforcement officer may inspect, photograph, and survey the vehicle and surrounding premises, and must give the owner written notice describing the conditions, the remedial action required, and a deadline of no more than 30 days before the owner is summoned to municipal court. A person who fails to appear after being summoned is guilty of a separate offense, and every 30-day period the condition persists after a municipal court abatement order restarts the clock on liability.
Owners have 15 days to file a written appeal to the city council after receiving notice, and any person found in violation by the municipal court retains a further right of appeal to a court of competent jurisdiction.
Violations & Fines
Failing to abate a declared vehicle nuisance within 30 days of notice, or failing to appear after being summoned to municipal court, is a separate offense under the article, punishable under the general penalty provisions of section 1-8. The enforcement officer may also placard the vehicle or premises after a court's condemnation, and it is unlawful to remove or mutilate that placard until the required repairs are made or the nuisance is abated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a broken-down car sit in my Alpharetta driveway before it counts as abandoned?
What happens after the city notices a junked vehicle on my property?
Can I appeal an abandoned vehicle notice in Alpharetta?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Alpharetta
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Abandoned Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Fulton County handle abandoned vehicles.