De Pere, WI Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 78-5
- Private-property time limit
- 3 days in public view
- Abandoned-vehicle threshold
- 48 hours unattended without permission
- Disposal authority
- Wis. Stat. § 342.40 (adopted by reference)
- Owner liability
- Impound and disposal costs, civil action
- Exempt
- Licensed dealers, repair shops, junkyards (ch. 110)
Summary
De Pere bars leaving a junked motor vehicle on any street or public property, and caps how long one can sit on private property in plain public view at three days under City Code section 78-5. A vehicle left unattended long enough to look abandoned is treated the same way, with the chief of police empowered to designate it as not abandoned.
(a)Prohibited conduct. No person shall place or leave any junked motor vehicle, or parts of such vehicle, on any street, highway or other public property within the city. No person in charge or control of any private property within the city, whether as owner, tenant, occupant, or otherwise, shall place, or allow to remain any junked vehicle on such property for more than three days if it is outside of any building and within the ordinary public view. No person shall leave unattended any motor vehicle on any public or private property in the city for such time and under such circumstances as to cause the vehicle to reasonably appear to have been abandoned. ... Abandoned motor vehicle means any motor vehicle which has been left unattended without the permission of the property owner on whose property such vehicle is located for more than 48 hours unless such vehicle is designated as not abandoned by the chief of police.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 9).
Full Breakdown
Section 78-5(a) sets three related prohibitions. No one may place or leave a junked motor vehicle, or parts of one, on any street, highway or other public property in the city. No person in charge of private property, whether owner, tenant or occupant, may place or allow a junked vehicle to remain on that property for more than three days if it sits outside a building and within ordinary public view. And no one may leave a motor vehicle unattended, on public or private property, under circumstances that make it reasonably appear abandoned.
Subsection (b) defines the key terms: a 'junked motor vehicle' is any wrecked, disassembled, partially dismantled, inoperable or unused motor vehicle, while an 'abandoned motor vehicle' is one left unattended without the property owner's permission for more than 48 hours, unless the chief of police designates it as not abandoned. 'Vehicle' covers a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer or mobile home.
Disposal follows Wisconsin Statutes section 342.40, adopted by reference in subsection (c), and the vehicle's owner, unless it was stolen, is responsible for the abandonment and for all impound and disposal costs under subsection (d); unrecovered costs can be pursued in a civil action against the owner. A sale under this section bars prior ownership claims, though subsection (f) lets a claimant petition the common council within two years of the sale for the sale proceeds. Subsection (g) exempts licensed automotive sales or repair businesses and licensed junkyards or auto salvage yards from the whole section.
Violations & Fines
Chapter 78 sets no separate fine for a junk or abandoned vehicle violation, so the citywide forfeiture in section 1-11 applies: $1.00 to $2,000.00 for a first offense, $10.00 to $2,000.00 for a repeat offense, with each day the vehicle remains a separate violation. The vehicle owner is also personally liable for impoundment and disposal costs the city cannot recover from the sale.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a junked car sit in my yard in De Pere?
When is a vehicle considered abandoned in De Pere?
Who pays to tow and dispose of an abandoned vehicle in De Pere?
Does this rule apply to a car dealer's or junkyard's lot?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in De Pere
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Abandoned Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brown County handle abandoned vehicles.