Bristol Township, PA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Three parts of the Bristol Township Code work together. First, § 170-18(G), in the solid waste chapter, makes it unlawful for any person to allow any abandoned vehicle to remain upon any public or private property more than 48 hours, and states that vehicles in salvage yards shall not be considered abandoned. Chapter 170 is enforced by the Managing Director, the Managing Director's designee and sworn Bristol Township police officers under § 170-20.

Second, the nuisance chapter lists vehicles by condition. Section 134-2(N) declares a nuisance any partially dismantled, wrecked, junked, discarded, disabled, inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicle parked, kept or stored on any exterior property for more than seven days. The listed conditions include a missing engine, one or more tires or other essential parts, a vehicle that has become a haven for vermin, one kept in a precarious or dangerous location, and one with broken glass or other sharp edges. The same paragraph allows a vehicle to undergo repair, provided the work is performed inside a structure or similarly enclosed area designed and approved for such purposes. An unlicensed vehicle is therefore swept in even when it still runs.

Third, Chapter 193, the Bristol Township Disabled Vehicle Ordinance, applies to residentially zoned land, defined by reference to Chapter 205, Zoning. A disabled motor vehicle there includes one that is inoperable and has been stored for more than seven days, one that lacks an engine, tire or other essential part, and one that presents a threat to public health, safety or welfare. Section 193-3 makes storing such a vehicle in a residentially zoned area within Bristol Township a violation. The Office of Licenses, Zoning and Inspections enforces Chapter 193 under § 193-4.

For nuisance cases, the Managing Director gives written notice to the owner or occupant under § 134-4. The notice must allow not less than 10 days to abate or to request a hearing (§ 134-5), and after a District Justice finding the Township can abate the nuisance and charge its costs plus a 10% penalty (§ 134-8).