Bay County, FL Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Sec. 17-1 of the Bay County Code defines a "junk or abandoned motor vehicle or watercraft" as more than one vehicle, car, truck, trailer or watercraft that either lacks current Florida DMV registration or, by outward appearance, is "disabled, dilapidated, deteriorated or not operable," sitting on private property or in a public right-of-way where it is visible from adjacent property and not inside an enclosed building. The definition is written around "more than one" such vehicle, so this nuisance category targets an accumulation rather than a single derelict car, though a lone vehicle can still be addressed under the section's unsafe-structure or blight provisions.

The definition feeds directly into item (4) of the Sec. 17-1 nuisance list, which also sweeps in accumulated rubbish, trash, unscreened construction debris and unused personal property alongside junk vehicles. Sec. 17-2(a) then makes it unlawful to "cause, create, maintain or allow" any listed condition, subjecting the property owner to "the processes and penalties under chapter 7 of this Code." In practice a code enforcement officer documents the violation, gives the owner a correction period, and can escalate an uncorrected or repeat violation to the special magistrate, who under Sec. 7-33 may fine a first violation up to $1,000.00 per day, a repeat violation up to $5,000.00 per day, and an irreparable violation up to $15,000.00, with the fine recordable as a lien against the property.