Carrollton, TX Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 90 of Carrollton's Code of Ordinances treats an unregistered, wrecked, or broken-down vehicle as a public nuisance the moment it becomes visible from a public place or right-of-way. Under § 90.19, no property owner, agent, or occupant may keep more than two inoperable vehicles, inoperable motor vehicles, or junked vehicles on their property; anything beyond two must go. Any vehicle that is kept must be screened by a solid opaque fence or fully enclosed inside a building, and a car cover placed over the vehicle does not satisfy the screening requirement. An inoperable motor vehicle automatically becomes a 'junked vehicle' once it has sat inoperable for more than 30 consecutive days.

Separately, §§ 90.15-90.18 govern true 'abandoned' vehicles: those left on public property more than 48 hours, on private property without the owner's consent for more than 48 hours, or on a state/county highway right-of-way for more than 48 hours (24 hours on a turnpike). The Police Department or the Designated City Official (DCO, the City Manager or designee) may take custody of these vehicles, and must notify the last known registered owner and any lienholder by certified mail within ten days, giving 20 days to reclaim the vehicle by paying towing, preservation, and storage charges. If the owner cannot be identified, published notice in a local newspaper substitutes for certified mail. Unclaimed vehicles are sold at public auction, with any surplus proceeds held for the owner or lienholder for 90 days.

For a nuisance vehicle left on private property, the DCO must give the owner and occupant written notice and ten days to remove it or request a hearing; a Municipal Court judge decides contested cases and can order removal and destruction.