Erie, PA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Pennsylvania's abandoned-vehicle framework runs through 75 Pa.C.S. Chapter 73 (Abandoned Vehicles and Cargos), §7311 et seq., which authorizes municipalities and authorized salvors to remove vehicles left on public roads or private property under defined conditions, and provides the title-clearing process for unclaimed vehicles. Erie layers its local administration on top of the state statute through Article 529 (Abandoned Vehicles on Private Property): § 529.01 provides that no person shall park, store or leave any motor vehicle in a wrecked, junked, stripped or abandoned condition where its presence constitutes a hazard on private property, and no property owner shall allow such a vehicle on their property unless authorized in conjunction with a properly zoned business. If a violation is found, the Director of the Department of Public Safety must notify the property owner and/or vehicle owner of the violation and order the vehicle owner to remove the vehicle within five days and the property owner to remove the vehicle within 45 days. The Director may remove a vehicle from private property without notice if its presence constitutes an imminent hazard or emergency nuisance. Article 527 (Impounding of Vehicles) handles vehicles on public streets. Article 530 covers immobilization of vehicles with three or more unpaid violations.