Bristol, CT Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

City Code § 5-48 defines an abandoned vehicle broadly: any unlicensed, inoperable car, truck, aircraft, camper, motorcycle, moped, recreational vehicle such as a golf cart, snowmobile or all-terrain vehicle, boat, tractor, cart, trailer, riding mower, or farm or construction equipment, whether self-propelled or towed. Current registration with a state or federal licensing agency is a defense to a finding that a vehicle is abandoned. A vehicle is "inoperable" if it shows at least two of six listed conditions, including a missing or non-starting engine, missing or flat tires or wheels, missing doors or windows, grass or debris grown up around it indicating immobility, holes or rust, or use for another purpose such as storage.

Section 5-52(a) then imposes the duty itself: every owner must keep the exterior of the premises and all structures free of abandoned vehicles, unless the property is a legal junkyard, along with nuisances, garbage, refuse, rubbish, infestations and filth. Section 5-53 places the identical duty on operators and occupants, not just record owners. Enforcement runs through the chief building official under § 5-52(c): the official posts a notice of violation at the property and mails a copy to the owner of record, giving ten days to abate before the city can order the vehicle removed and bill the abatement cost to the tax collector.

The broader nuisance and blight provisions of Article V, including the $100 fine in § 5-54, apply if the abandoned vehicle also creates blighted premises.