Calaveras County, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Highway removal trigger
- 72+ consecutive hours, or missing safety parts
- Notice for non-highway property
- at least 10 days, by certified mail
- Hearing request window
- 10 days after notice
- Enforcing official
- planning director
- Adopted
- Ord. No. 2257, 1992
Summary
Calaveras County treats abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles on public or private property as a public nuisance the planning director can abate. Abandoning a vehicle on a highway or placing one on property without consent is an infraction, and removal costs must be paid.
"Public nuisance vehicle" means any vehicle that is abandoned, wrecked or dismantled or any inoperative parts thereof; that is on public or private property, not including highways; and that creates a condition tending to reduce the value of private property, promotes blight and deterioration, invites plundering, creates fire hazards, constitutes an attractive nuisance endangering the health and safety of minors, harbors rodents and insects, or jeopardizes health, safety or general welfare. ... 10.26.030 - Penalty for abandonment. A.No person shall abandon a vehicle upon any highway. Any violation of this section constitutes an infraction.B.Every person who parks or leaves standing a vehicle on a highway for seventy-two consecutive hours or more is guilty of an infraction.C.No person shall place a vehicle upon public or private property without the express or implied consent of the owner or person in lawful possession or control of the property. Any violation of this section constitutes an infraction.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 23 Update 2).
Full Breakdown
26, adopted by Ordinance No. 2257 in 1992, defines an abandoned vehicle as one left on a highway or public or private property in such an inoperable or neglected condition that the owner's intent to relinquish it may reasonably be concluded, and presumes abandonment on a highway when a vehicle lacks an engine, transmission, wheels, tires, doors or windshield. A public nuisance vehicle is one that is abandoned, wrecked or dismantled and on property other than a highway, creating conditions such as blight, fire hazard, attractive nuisance to minors, or rodent harborage.
Under Section 22660 of the state Vehicle Code, the board of supervisors made findings that such vehicles are a nuisance subject to abatement under this chapter. 050). 060). 070 requires at least ten days' notice of intent to abate, mailed by registered or certified mail to the landowner and last registered owner, with a right to request a hearing before the planning director within ten days.
Violations & Fines
Section 10.26.030 makes abandoning a vehicle on any highway an infraction, makes parking or leaving a vehicle standing on a highway for 72 or more consecutive hours an infraction, and makes placing a vehicle on public or private property without the owner's consent an infraction. A person convicted must pay the penalty set in Section 17.100.070 of the county code and must also prove the costs of removal and disposition were paid before any fine is considered satisfied; no part of the fine may be suspended, though it may be paid in installments if the court finds the defendant cannot pay in full.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who enforces Calaveras County's abandoned vehicle rules?
How much notice do I get before an abandoned vehicle is removed from my property?
Can the county remove a vehicle from a highway right away?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Calaveras County
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