Napa County, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

California provides a comprehensive abandoned-vehicle abatement framework in Vehicle Code Sections 22650 through 22711. Cal. Veh. Code 22651 authorizes peace officers and authorized employees to remove a vehicle from a highway under specified conditions; subdivision (o) authorizes removal of a vehicle parked or left standing on a highway for 72 or more consecutive hours. Cal. Veh. Code 22660 specifically authorizes cities and counties to adopt ordinances declaring abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles - or parts thereof - on public or private property to be a public nuisance and providing for their abatement and removal. Napa County has adopted such provisions within Napa County Code Title 10 (Vehicles and Traffic). Vehicle Code Section 22710 authorizes the establishment of a Service Authority for the Abatement of Abandoned Vehicles (SAAAV), funded by a $1 vehicle-registration surcharge collected by DMV; SAAAV programs reimburse local governments for towing and disposing of abandoned vehicles. Napa County is part of a regional SAAAV program. Abatement on private property follows a notice-and-hearing process: the County provides written notice to the owner of the vehicle (if identifiable) and the property owner, allows time for removal or for a hearing before the County's hearing officer or Board of Supervisors, and then if the nuisance is confirmed and not abated, the County may enter the property to tow and dispose of the vehicle. The owner can recover the costs of abatement as a lien against the property. Active abandoned vehicles on roads should be reported to the Napa County Sheriff non-emergency line (or 911 if hazardous); abandoned vehicles on state highways should be reported to CHP. Vehicles parked on the street in unincorporated Napa County may also be cited under the 72-hour rule even if not strictly 'abandoned' (no identifiable owner or no plates) - the 72-hour rule applies regardless of registration status. Cities within Napa County (Napa, St. Helena, Calistoga, Yountville, American Canyon) enforce their own abandoned-vehicle ordinances within city limits.