Bonner County, ID Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 12-420 F, in the General Standards of the Bonner County zoning title, labels a derelict car a public nuisance when three conditions line up. First, the automobile body is not properly and currently licensed. Second, it is not in operating condition or has not been used for a period of six (6) months or more. Third, it is offensive to the sight of the community or neighborhood, or to persons passing by on a public thoroughfare. The text covers a vehicle left on public or private property, so a car parked on a back lot and a car left beside a road fall under the same sentence.

The subsection prints no towing procedure and no vehicle-specific fine. Enforcement runs through the general machinery of Title 12. Under section 12-130 A, the Planning Director or a designee has the authority to enforce the title. Under section 12-131, any person can file a written complaint on a department form, submitted electronically or in person to the Planning Department, and the director can investigate or dismiss the complaint on a finding that there is insufficient evidence of a violation. Under section 12-130 B, the prosecuting attorney can pursue criminal action, and with the consent of the board can bring a civil action to enjoin the violation.

Two related rules sit nearby. Section 12-432, Table 4-3, standard 1 requires vehicles, including automobiles, recreational vehicles, boats or campers, that are parked or stored for a period exceeding 48 hours to be located on the same lot as the use they serve and outside of the required front yard. The definitions chapter also defines JUNK as any manufactured good or other thing that is demolished, discarded, dismantled, partially dismantled, dilapidated, or so worn and deteriorated that no capability for use remains.