Burien, WA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered items
- Vehicles, trailers, house trailers, boats, tractors and their parts
- Evidence of junk status
- Flat tire, missing wheel, broken windshield, missing plates, dead motor
- Screening exception
- Allowed on private property if screened and no other code violated
- Default penalty
- $125.00 first violation; $250.00 second or continuing violation
- Response deadline
- 14 days from service of the notice of civil violation
- Old chapter
- Chapter 8.46 Junk Vehicle Abatement repealed by Ord. 682
Summary
In the City of Burien, Washington, Burien Municipal Code § 8.45.020(5)(c)(iv) makes any wrecked, inoperable, abandoned or disassembled vehicle, trailer, boat or tractor a nuisance, but junk vehicles on private property are allowed when screened from view and no other code section is violated. Chapter 1.15 BMC sets the penalties.
(iv) Junk Vehicles. Any wrecked, inoperable, abandoned or disassembled trailer, house trailer, boat, tractor, or vehicle, or any parts thereof. A junk vehicle includes apparently inoperable, immobile, disassembled, or extensively damaged vehicles. Evidence of inoperability and damage includes, but is not limited to, a buildup of debris that obstructs use, a broken window or windshield, a missing wheel, a flat tire, a nonfunctional motor or transmission, missing bumpers, or missing license plates; provided nothing herein shall prevent the keeping or storage of any junk vehicle on private property which is screened from view as long as such keeping or storage does not violate any part of the Burien Municipal Code;
Full Breakdown
The City of Burien defines the junk vehicle in § 8.45.020(5)(c)(iv). The clause covers any wrecked, inoperable, abandoned or disassembled trailer, house trailer, boat, tractor or vehicle, and any parts of one. A junk vehicle includes apparently inoperable, immobile, disassembled or extensively damaged vehicles. The code lists the evidence of inoperability and damage: a buildup of debris that obstructs use, a broken window or windshield, a missing wheel, a flat tire, a nonfunctional motor or transmission, missing bumpers, or missing license plates. The list is not exclusive.
The screening proviso is the most important local detail. Nothing in the clause prevents keeping or storing a junk vehicle on private property that is screened from view, as long as the keeping or storage does not violate any other part of the Burien Municipal Code. A vehicle that is not screened from view is the target. Clause (v) adds a second hook: abandoned motor vehicles left in any place exposed or accessible to children, including on an unoccupied lot, are attractive nuisances.
Burien once had a standalone junk vehicle chapter, but Chapter 8.46 is printed as repealed by Ord. 682. Enforcement now runs through Chapter 8.45 and Chapter 1.15 BMC. A code enforcement officer first seeks voluntary correction, then issues a notice of civil violation, and the person responsible has 14 days from service to pay and correct, sign a voluntary correction agreement, request a mitigation hearing with a $100.00 filing fee, or ask for a contested hearing before the hearing examiner. Responsibility is joint and several under § 1.15.040, and the definition of person responsible in § 1.15.020 reaches the titled owner, an occupant or person in control of the property, and anyone who caused or allowed the violation. A vehicle owner and the landowner can both be pursued.
If the vehicle stays, the city can abate under § 1.15.210 using employees or a contractor, bill the costs, and place unpaid amounts on the county tax rolls as an assessment lien.
Violations & Fines
Junk vehicle violations carry the default Chapter 1.15 penalty of $125.00 for a first violation and $250.00 for a second or continuing violation, accruing for each day past the deadline in the notice. Class 2 and class 1 civil infractions run $125.00 and $250.00. A misdemeanor charge carries up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense, and abatement costs are added.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep an inoperable car on my property in the City of Burien?
What shows that a vehicle is a junk vehicle under Burien code?
Who gets the violation notice, the vehicle owner or the property owner?
Is there still a separate junk vehicle abatement chapter?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Burien
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