Champaign, IL Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

A vehicle counts as 'abandoned' under Sec. 33-151(a) if it sits in one City street or alley location for 72 consecutive hours or more, overstays a metered space by 24 hours beyond the posted limit, lacks current registration, or has a removed or defaced VIN plate. Sec. 33-152 makes it unlawful for a registered owner to allow that vehicle, or an inoperable or 'nuisance' vehicle covered by tarps, leaking fluids, or otherwise deteriorated, to sit on any street, alley, or public property. On private property, Sec.

1(b)(10) separately declares any inoperable or unregistered vehicle a public nuisance unless it is on a licensed vehicle-repair or junking lot or stored completely out of public view inside a building; subsection (11) further requires that any vehicle parked on private property sit on a weed-free surface of gravel, crushed stone, asphalt, or concrete. Under Sec. 33-153, whoever comes into possession of an abandoned vehicle must notify the Champaign Police Department, which authorizes a towing service to remove it. For nuisances on private property, the Neighborhood Services Director issues a written notice to abate under Sec.

22-56, giving the owner 10 days to correct the condition, or 24 hours if the nuisance is a repeat within the prior 12 months or poses an immediate danger. Owners can appeal that notice to the Director within 10 days under Sec. 22-57; if they don't act, the City may enter the property, remove the vehicle, and bill the owner under Sec. 22-58, with unpaid costs becoming a recorded lien.