Canton, OH Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Canton Codified Ordinances 355.09, Prohibition of Abandoned Junk Motor Vehicles and Vehicle Parts, sets the core time limits: no person may willfully leave an abandoned junk motor vehicle or vehicle parts on private property for more than seventy-two hours without the permission of the person entitled to possession of the property, or on a public street or other property open to public vehicular traffic or parking for forty-eight hours or longer without notifying the Chief of Police of the reasons for leaving it there. The fact that a vehicle sat unpermitted or unreported that long is itself prima facie evidence of abandonment, shifting the burden to the owner.

A related provision, Section 355.10, covers junk vehicles kept with the property owner's permission: they cannot sit uncovered outdoors more than seventy-two hours, and after a ten-day notice to remove or cover the vehicle, the property owner can appeal to the Director of Public Safety within ten days, with a hearing held within ten more days. Under Section 355.08, the Chief of Police photographs and appraises a removed vehicle, keeps records for at least two years, and can dispose of it to a licensed junk yard or scrap facility; the owner may redeem it before sale or destruction by paying the City's removal and advertising expenses.

A vehicle removed as a nuisance under Section 355.10(f) is towed to the City of Canton's Impound Lot and held until towing and storage charges are paid or it is disposed of under Ohio R.C. 4513.62 through 4513.65. Enforcement runs through the City Nuisance Inspector under Section 355.11 as well as the Police and Health Departments.