Dade City, FL Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 42-133 of the Dade City Code of Ordinances, adopted by Ord. No. 2016-07 on June 28, 2016, prohibits any person from allowing an abandoned, junked, wrecked or derelict vehicle to be placed or remain on public property, and prohibits any owner, tenant, occupant or lessee in charge of private property from allowing the same unless the vehicle sits inside a completely enclosed building or on the premises of an automobile repair or storage business holding a current city business tax license and zoning approval.

Section 42-132 defines a covered vehicle broadly, from evidence such as vegetative growth as high as the vehicle body, accumulated debris, missing major mechanical parts, or the absence of a current license plate or registration, which creates a prima facie case of abandonment that the owner can rebut by proving the vehicle is immediately drivable and missing no major component. Section 42-134 lists four ways to avoid a violation: full enclosure with no part visible to the public, proof of drivability despite missing tags, location at a licensed repair or storage business, or enclosure behind a sight-proof fence at least six feet high.

Under § 42-135, once a code enforcement or police officer determines a vehicle is abandoned, the officer gives the responsible person written notice to remove it within ten calendar days; if it is still there after that period, the officer issues a citation to appear before the Pasco County Court, and both the property owner and the vehicle's owner are jointly and individually responsible.