Burlington, NC Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 16 of the Burlington Code of Ordinances defines an abandoned motor vehicle in Section 16-1 as one left upon a street or highway in violation of a parking law or ordinance, left on city-owned or city-operated property for longer than twenty-four hours, left on private property without the consent of the owner, occupant or lessee for longer than two hours, or left on any public street for longer than seven days. Section 16-4 makes it unlawful for the registered owner or the person entitled to possession of a vehicle to cause or allow it to be abandoned under that definition, and once the city police department or city code enforcement staff investigate and determine a vehicle is abandoned, they may order it removed.

Section 16-3 divides enforcement responsibility: the city police department administers removal of vehicles determined abandoned or hazardous on public property, including streets and highways, while city code enforcement staff administer removal from private property within the city. The city may contract with private towing operators to remove, store and dispose of abandoned vehicles in compliance with state and local law, and Section 16-2 shields a person who disposes of an abandoned, lost or stolen vehicle under the chapter from being barred from answering in a later civil or criminal action over that disposal.

This two-hour threshold on private property is notably shorter than the twenty-four-hour window on city property, giving private landowners a faster path to have an unwanted vehicle removed than the city gives itself for its own lots.