Fremont, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 8.05.030 implements the state abandoned-vehicle abatement scheme under Vehicle Code Sections 22600 through 22664 and applies citywide to any vehicle, or part of one, that is abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative on private property, public property, or a highway. The chief of police or a designated enforcement officer may enter private property to inspect a suspected nuisance vehicle without opening doors, gates, fences or windows unless the owner consents. Two exemptions apply: a vehicle completely enclosed in a building and not visible from the street, and a vehicle lawfully stored on the property of a licensed dismantler, vehicle dealer or junk dealer, or where storage is necessary to a lawfully conducted business.

Before removal, the city must mail a 10-day notice of intention to abate by registered or certified mail to the property owner of record and the vehicle's last registered and legal owner. The notice states the right to appear at a hearing or submit a sworn written statement denying responsibility within 10 days. If a hearing is requested, the hearing officer, defined in the section as the chief of police or designee, holds the hearing without being bound by formal rules of evidence and can order removal, delay removal, or find the land owner not responsible and waive the assessment against the property. Any interested party may appeal the hearing officer's decision to the city council under Chapter 1.25.

Once an order becomes final, five days after the order (or 15 days after an appeal), the vehicle may be towed to a scrapyard or dismantler's yard for disposal, and it cannot be reconstructed or made operable afterward unless it qualifies for historical or horseless-carriage plates under Vehicle Code Section 5004. Within five days of removal, the city must notify the Department of Motor Vehicles and the Department of Justice and forward any registration, title or plates recovered.