Gastonia, NC Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 11-152 makes it unlawful for a vehicle's registered owner or the person entitled to possession to allow it to be abandoned, and once the administrator investigates and determines a vehicle is abandoned, removal can be ordered. Section 11-151 splits enforcement: city police handle abandoned vehicles on public streets and highways, while the code enforcement division handles abandoned, junked and hazardous vehicles on private property, and the city may contract with private tow operators to remove, store and dispose of them. Hazardous vehicles are covered separately under section 11-153, and junked motor vehicles under section 11-154, where the administrator must find in writing that the aesthetic benefit of removal outweighs the burden on the owner, weighing factors like property values, tourism, public health and neighborhood character.

Section 11-155 allows one junked vehicle on a one- or two-family residential lot only if it sits in the rear yard and is entirely hidden from public streets and abutting properties by an acceptable covering; a tarp does not qualify, and the covering must be kept in good repair. Any additional junked vehicle must be inside a fully enclosed garage or building structure built under a lawful permit. Before towing, section 11-156 requires notice by first-class mail to the owner if their address can be reasonably found, or a notice affixed to the vehicle itself if it cannot.