Green Bay, WI Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Public streets/property
- Junk vehicles banned outright
- Private property limit
- 72 hours max
- Exemptions
- Enclosed buildings, licensed repair lots, antiques
- Enforcement
- Police Chief or Building Inspector may remove
- Penalty
- $1–$500 forfeiture, daily separate offense
Summary
Green Bay bans junked, wrecked or non-operating vehicles from streets and public property outright, and limits how long one can sit on private property to 72 hours under Municipal Code § 24-7, with the Police Chief or Building Inspector authorized to remove violators.
(a)Public streets and property. No person shall leave any partially dismantled, non-operating, non-registered, wrecked, or junked vehicle on any street or highway within the City or on any public property within the City.(b)Private property. No person in charge or control of any property within the City, whether as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee, or otherwise, shall allow any partially dismantled, non-operating, wrecked, junked, discarded, or unlicensed vehicle to remain on such property within the City longer than 72 hours. This section shall not apply to a vehicle in an enclosed building, a vehicle on the premises of a lawfully operated business enterprise involving the sale, dismantling, repair, or restoration of such vehicles, a vehicle in an appropriate storage place or depository maintained in a lawful place and manner by or on behalf of the City, nor to a dismantled, non-operating vehicle which is licensed as an antique or collector's auto and which is actively being restored.(c)Removal. The Chief of Police, the Superintendent of Building Inspection, or any member of their departments designated by them may remove or have removed any vehicle left at any place within the City that, in their opinion, is in violation of this section. (Code 1984, § 29.510; Ord. No. 20-06)
Full Breakdown
Section 24-7 bars any partially dismantled, non-operating, unregistered, wrecked, or junked vehicle from city streets, highways or public property at any time. On private property, the same categories of vehicle, plus unlicensed vehicles, cannot sit longer than 72 hours, though the rule exempts vehicles inside an enclosed building, on a licensed dismantling or repair business's premises, in a City-authorized storage depository, or an antique/collector's vehicle actively being restored under an antique license. The Chief of Police, the Superintendent of Building Inspection, or a designee from either department may have any violating vehicle removed.
Violations & Fines
Violations fall under Chapter 24's general penalty (§ 24-83): forfeiture of $1.00 to $500.00 plus prosecution costs, with each day a vehicle remains constituting a separate offense.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a junk or wrecked car sit in my driveway in Green Bay?
Can the city tow a junk car parked on the street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Green Bay
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Abandoned Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brown County handle abandoned vehicles.