Cecil County, MD Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing chapter
- Chapter 353, Vehicles, Junked or Abandoned
- Notice period
- 10 days after written removal notice
- Daily fine
- $25 per day past the deadline
- Unclaimed vehicle window
- 60 days before public auction
- Exemption
- Licensed junkyards, garages, service stations
Summary
Cecil County makes it unlawful to leave an unlicensed junk motor vehicle, or parts of one, on private or public property in open view of a nearby highway. Once a police officer sends written notice to the owner of record, the vehicle must move within 10 days or the owner faces a $25 fine for every additional day it stays.
§ 353-1. Unlawful abandonment. ... It is unlawful in Cecil County, as provided in this chapter, to cause or permit an unlicensed junk motor vehicle or parts thereof to be left on private or public property, in open view of persons on a nearby highway. Failure to remove such a vehicle or parts thereof within 10 days after a written notice of removal sent to the owner of record by any authorized police officer is a misdemeanor, punishable upon conviction by a fine of $25 for each day after the 10 days during which the motor vehicle is not moved from the property.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 353, Vehicles, Junked or Abandoned, dates to 1966 legislation carried forward into the current Code of Cecil County. ' Enforcement starts with a written notice of removal sent by an authorized police officer to the vehicle's owner of record; the owner then has 10 days to move the vehicle before the daily $25 fine under § 353-1 begins accruing for each additional day it remains. Beyond the fine, § 353-2 lets the County impound the vehicle, and § 353-3 allows the County to sell an impounded vehicle at public auction if the owner cannot be located or does not claim it within 60 days, following two weeks of newspaper notice and a mailed notice to the owner and any lienholder.
Section 353-6 carves out vehicles at a regularly operated gas station, garage, or licensed motor vehicle junkyard. A related but separate provision, § 359-20 in the Vehicles, Traffic and Transportation chapter, independently bans parking, storing or leaving any 'wrecked, junked, partially dismantled, inoperative or abandoned' motor vehicle on private or public property in the county, punishable as a misdemeanor under the District Court Schedule of Fines, except for vehicles at a County-licensed junkyard.
Violations & Fines
Ignoring the removal notice triggers a misdemeanor charge and a fine of $25 for each day past the 10-day deadline the vehicle stays put, under § 353-1. The county can also impound the vehicle under § 353-2 and, if it goes unclaimed for 60 days, sell it at public auction under § 353-3, applying proceeds first to towing, storage and lien costs before returning any balance to a claimant who files within one year.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do I have to remove a junked vehicle after notice?
Can Cecil County tow and sell my abandoned vehicle?
Does this ban apply to vehicles at a garage or junkyard?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cecil County
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