Fall River, MA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Applies to
- Public or private property
- Exception
- Licensed junk dealers only
- Vehicle count exception
- None: applies to any number
- General penalty
- City Code § 1-15
Summary
Fall River bans keeping a dismantled, junked, abandoned, or inoperable vehicle in the open on any public or private property unless the owner holds a City junk dealer's license: there's no homeowner exception.
No person shall deposit, store, keep or permit to be deposited, stored or kept in the open upon public or private property a dismantled, unserviceable, junked or abandoned vehicle, or one legally or physically incapable of being operated, unless he has first obtained a junk dealer's license in accordance with the provisions of this article.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: rev 4739915; v14 updated 2025-12-23; through 12-23-2025).
Full Breakdown
The ordinance flatly forbids depositing, storing, or keeping a dismantled, unserviceable, junked, or abandoned vehicle, or one that's legally or physically incapable of running, in the open on any property, public or private, anywhere in the City. The only way around the ban is to first hold a junk dealer's license issued under the article's licensing sections. There's no carve-out for a single vehicle sitting in a homeowner's own driveway or yard; the prohibition applies citywide regardless of who owns the land or how many vehicles are involved.
Violations & Fines
Fall River enforces the storage ban under the City's general penalty provision, §1-15 of the Code, and can require the vehicle's removal from the property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I store one junked car in my own backyard in Fall River?
Is there an exception for just one vehicle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fall River
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Abandoned Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Bristol County handle abandoned vehicles.