Beaumont, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 8.20 of the Beaumont Municipal Code covers abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles on private or public property, not including highways, and adopts a Vehicle Abatement Program under California Vehicle Code Section 22660 et seq. Highway removals stay under the Vehicle Code. Under Section 8.20.050, a vehicle or part left parked or stored on public property for more than 72 hours is presumed abandoned, and one on private property for more than 21 days is presumed abandoned. Section 8.20.030 defines inoperative to include a vehicle not currently and validly registered. Section 8.20.060 exempts a vehicle completely enclosed in a building where it cannot be seen from the street, and one lawfully kept on private property in connection with a licensed dismantler, licensed vehicle dealer, or junkyard.

The Chief of Police, or employees he appoints, administers the chapter. Section 8.20.120 requires a ten-day notice of intention to abate, mailed by registered mail to the landowner on the last equalized assessment roll and to the last registered and legal owners of the vehicle. Either owner can request a hearing within ten days, and a landowner's sworn written statement denying responsibility counts as a request. The Abandoned Vehicle Hearing Officer is the City Manager or a designee (Section 8.20.040). Anyone can appeal to the City Council within seven days of the decision, and Council decisions carry a 90-day judicial review limit under Code of Civil Procedure Section 1094.6.

If no hearing is requested, the City can abate without one on the Chief of Police's written order, once written permission or a proper warrant is in hand. Ten days after the order, the vehicle can go to a scrap yard or dismantler, and it cannot be rebuilt, except vehicles qualifying for horseless carriage or historical plates. The Department of Motor Vehicles gets notice within five days of removal. A landowner who did not consent to the vehicle is not charged the costs (Section 8.20.140(C)); otherwise unpaid costs after 30 days become an assessment on the parcel under Government Code Section 38773.5 (Section 8.20.180).