Gary, IN Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 18-195 of the Gary Municipal Code makes it unlawful to abandon any vehicle on public or private property in the city, or to leave any vehicle in one place long enough, and under circumstances, that it would reasonably appear abandoned; it separately bars leaving any partially dismantled, nonoperating, wrecked, or junked vehicle on public or private premises. Definitions for 'vehicle,' 'abandoned,' 'public property,' 'private property,' and 'person' come from state law, IC 9-13-2, per section 18-194. The department of development and planning carries out removal, storage, and disposal of abandoned vehicles under section 18-196, and the board of public works and safety may contract with private towing and storage firms for that work.

Section 18-197 caps what the city or its contractors can charge: towing ordered by the police department cannot exceed $350.00, storage cannot exceed $20.00 per day, and total storage charges are capped at $350.00. If an owner or lienholder does not come forward within 20 days after the city mails notice under IC 9-22-1-20, the city may sell the vehicle at public auction with one week's newspaper notice, or dispose of it as unclaimed property under IC 36-1-11. A buyer at that sale pays $15.00 for a bill of sale, and the city charges a $15.00 salvage fee when an unsold vehicle at auction is transferred to a storage facility for salvage.