Franklin, TN Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Franklin uses a layered abandoned-vehicle framework. The street-side and tow-custody rules are set by Tennessee state law. Under Tennessee Code Annotated 55-16, a police department, sheriff, or other public authority is authorized to take into custody any motor vehicle found abandoned, immobile, or unattended on public or private property. TCA 55-16-105 requires written notice to be sent to the registered owner and any lienholders identifying the year, make, model, and vehicle identification number of the vehicle (if ascertainable), the location of the vehicle, and informing them they have ten days from the date of the notice to appeal the determination or to reclaim the vehicle on payment of all towing, preservation, and storage charges. Under TCA 55-16-106, vehicles not reclaimed within the statutory window may be sold at public auction, and TCA 55-16-108 governs disposal to demolishers. The Tennessee Department of Revenue treats a vehicle as abandoned if it remains on private property without consent of the owner or property manager for more than 48 hours, or remains stored or parked in a garage, trailer park, or storage or parking lot for more than 30 consecutive days. On private property, the City of Franklin Property Maintenance Code, administered by Building and Neighborhood Services, makes it unlawful to keep any inoperable or unlicensed motor vehicle on any premises, or any vehicle in a state of major disrepair. The code lists indicators of an inoperable vehicle as: inoperable under its own power, missing one or more wheels, lacking inflated tires, burned throughout, or with more than one window broken. Owners cited for a Property Maintenance Code violation receive a Notice of Violation with a 30-day cure period; uncorrected violations can be abated by the city through contractors with the cost invoiced to the owner. Unpaid invoices over 45 days result in a property lien, and uncorrected cases also trigger a Municipal Court citation, with each day of continued violation treated as a separate offense. The Franklin Police Department handles on-street abandoned vehicle complaints, and Building and Neighborhood Services handles inoperable-vehicle complaints on private property.