Bloomfield, NJ Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Time trigger
- Continuously parked for 48 hours
- Other triggers
- No current registration, inoperative, missing a tire, obstructing traffic
- Removal by
- Bloomfield Police Department
- Owner notice
- In writing within five days of impoundment
- Unclaimed vehicles
- Sold at public auction after 90 days
- Sale notice
- At least seven days before the sale
Summary
In Bloomfield Township, New Jersey, a vehicle parked continuously for 48 hours, or parked without current registration, inoperative or missing a tire, counts as abandoned under Township Code § 540-1. Abandoning one on a public street or Township property is unlawful, and the Police Department impounds it and sells it at auction after 90 days unclaimed.
Includes any motor vehicle, omnibus, road tractor, trailer, truck, truck tractor and vehicle which: (1) Is parked without the current year's registration or identification markers as required by law. (2) Has been continuously parked in any of the places mentioned in this chapter for a period of 48 hours. (3) Is so disabled as to constitute an obstruction to traffic, and the driver or person owning or in charge thereof neglects or refuses to move the same to a place where it will not obstruct traffic. (4) Is found to be mechanically inoperative. (5) Is found without one or more tires. ... It shall be unlawful for any person to abandon a motor vehicle, omnibus, road tractor, trailer, truck, truck tractor or vehicle on any public street or highway of the Township; on any municipally owned or operated parking lot; on any property which is owned, leased or maintained by the Township; on any property which is owned, leased or maintained by the Board of Education of the Township; or on any property which is owned, leased or maintained by the Board of Recreation Commissioners of the Township.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 540 of the Bloomfield Township Code defines and prohibits abandoned vehicles. Under § 540-1, a vehicle is abandoned if it is parked without the current year's registration or identification markers as required by law, has been continuously parked in the places named in the chapter for a period of 48 hours, is so disabled that it obstructs traffic and the driver or person in charge neglects or refuses to move it, is found to be mechanically inoperative, or is found without one or more tires. The chapter takes the definitions of motor vehicle, trailer, truck and related terms from N.J.S.A. 39:1-1 et seq.
Section 540-2 makes it unlawful to abandon a vehicle on any public street or highway of the Township, on any municipally owned or operated parking lot, or on property owned, leased or maintained by the Township, the Board of Education or the Board of Recreation Commissioners.
Removal runs through the Police Department. Under § 540-3, a member of the Bloomfield Police Department who finds an abandoned vehicle on a public street or highway or on the public property described in § 540-2 moves it, or secures its removal, to a garage or place designated by the Chief of Police for impounding. The vehicle stays impounded until the owner pays the reasonable costs of removal and storage. Within five days of impoundment, the Chief or a member of the Police Department acting for the Chief notifies the registered owner in writing, by personal service or by certified mail at the owner's last-known address, of the removal, the reason for it and the location of the vehicle.
A vehicle that remains unclaimed for 90 days is sold at public auction to the highest bidder under the direction of the Chief of Police, per § 540-4. Notice goes out at least seven days before the sale by one publication in a newspaper circulating in the Township and by regular mail to the owner. The owner's address on the records of the State Motor Vehicle Commission is sufficient for that mailing.
Violations & Fines
Section 540-5 applies the general penalty in § 1-15 of the Township Code to any violation of Chapter 540: on conviction, a fine not exceeding $2,000, imprisonment not exceeding 90 days or community service not exceeding 90 days, or a combination. Apart from the court penalty, an owner pays the reasonable costs of removal and storage under § 540-3 before regaining the vehicle, and an unclaimed vehicle is sold at public auction after 90 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a car sit on a Bloomfield Township street before it counts as abandoned?
What happens if my vehicle is impounded as abandoned?
When does the Township sell an impounded vehicle?
Does a missing tire make a vehicle abandoned in Bloomfield?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bloomfield
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