Bowie, MD Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Private-lot trigger
- 10 continuous days exposed to public view
- Private-lot notice
- 7 days to remove after notice
- Street rule
- no abandoned vehicle any period
- Street notice
- 48 hours to move after tag
- Repossession fee
- $50 processing fee
- Owner shortfall liability
- up to $300 after auction
Summary
In the City of Bowie, no abandoned vehicle may sit on a City street for any period under Bowie City Code § 14-13, and an inoperative vehicle exposed to public view on a residential lot for 10 continuous days becomes impoundable under § 14-16, with a mandatory seven-day notice to the property owner first.
No abandoned vehicle shall be left upon any City street for any period. ... ... § 14-16. Inoperative vehicles on private property. A. Any inoperative vehicle found parked or stored exposed to public view anywhere on any residential lot for a continuous period of 10 days may be removed, conveyed, and impounded by or under the direction of the City Manager or his designee. Vehicles that may be impounded under this section include, but are not limited to, any motor vehicles, trailers and semitrailers. The charge for such removal, conveyance or impoundment shall be charged to the owner of the vehicle or the resident on whose property the vehicle was stored, in such amount as the City Manager shall have established by regulation hereunder. The procedures to be followed for impoundment of vehicles pursuant to this section are set forth in § 14-14 of the Code. B. Before the City shall impound a vehicle pursuant to this section, it shall issue a notice to the property owner stating that this section of the Bowie City Code is being violated and providing seven days for the property owner to remove the offending vehicle.
Full Breakdown
On City streets, Bowie City Code § 14-13 lets any vehicle sit for 72 hours before it must be moved a vehicle length, but subsection B bars an abandoned vehicle from a street outright, for any period, and the City Manager or designee may impound after tagging the vehicle with a notice giving the owner 48 hours to move it. On private residential lots, § 14-16A lets the City Manager or designee remove, convey and impound any inoperative vehicle, including trailers and semitrailers, once it has sat exposed to public view for a continuous 10 days, charging the removal cost to the vehicle's owner or the resident whose property held it.
Before that private-property impoundment happens, § 14-16B requires the City to notify the property owner that the Code is being violated and to give seven days to remove the vehicle. Both street and private-lot impoundments follow the procedures in § 14-14, which substantially conform to the Transportation Article of the Annotated Code of Maryland, §§ 25-204 to 25-209: the City Manager must notify the owner and any secured parties by certified mail within seven days of impoundment, and if nobody reclaims the vehicle within three weeks of that notice, the owner is deemed to have waived all rights to it and consented to sale at public auction.
If the auction proceeds don't cover towing, preserving and storing the vehicle, the last registered owner remains liable to the City for the shortfall, up to $300, under § 14-14B(5).
Violations & Fines
Impoundment carries real costs: the City charges towing, removal and storage fees plus a $50 repossession processing fee under § 14-17, and any outstanding parking fines must be paid or adjudicated before release. If an unclaimed vehicle sells at auction for less than the towing and storage cost, the last registered owner owes the City the difference, capped at $300, under § 14-14B(5).
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can an inoperative vehicle sit on my property in Bowie?
What notice do I get before Bowie impounds my vehicle?
What happens if nobody claims a vehicle Bowie has impounded?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bowie
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