Hamden, CT Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 91.01 defines a junk vehicle as any motor vehicle or part not currently licensed by the Commissioner of Motor Vehicles for lawful operation and left in a rusted, wrecked, discarded, partly dismantled, inoperative or abandoned condition, and a junk appliance as a discarded washing machine, refrigerator, freezer, water heater, television, furniture or similar item. Section 91.03 bars any owner or operator of land, wholly or partly within the town, from depositing or retaining a junk vehicle or junk appliance on that land except inside a suitable enclosed and secured structure.

On a complaint, the enforcement officer, defined as the Director of Health or a designated agent, must serve written notice ordering removal within 10 days; failure to comply is punishable by a fine of not more than $50 for each day of noncompliance (91.04). If the owner still fails to comply, the enforcement officer may enter the land, remove the junk vehicle or appliance, and charge the cost as a lien against the property (91.05). Section 91.06 exempts land operated for licensed motor vehicle sale, repair or reconditioning consistent with town zoning and state law, and land used by an appliance dealer whose outdoor storage is screened to at least 6 feet from the street and neighboring properties, kept orderly and securely locked.

Failing to comply with a removal notice is fined not more than $50 under 91.99(A); resisting or obstructing the enforcement officer while executing the chapter is fined not more than $100 under 91.99(B).