Hamilton County, IN Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 36-9-30-34, rewritten by Ordinance No. 05-27-2025-B on May 27, 2025, applies to private property in Hamilton County outside any city or town's municipal boundaries. " A prohibited vehicle includes an abandoned vehicle under IC 9-13-2-1, an apparent inoperable vehicle (missing wheels, a motor or transmission, or unmoved for at least 30 days), an "excess motor vehicle" (parked outside a garage for more than ten consecutive days where the number of vehicles on a residential property exceeds its bedroom count), an unregistered vehicle, or one dismantled or wrecked beyond safe road use.

Junk covers scrap metal, building material not in active use under a permit, and discarded household items not meant for outdoor exposure. Exceptions protect agricultural operations, licensed car dealers, automobile repair shops, permitted construction sites, lawful junkyards, parking facilities and public-use airports, and the ordinance cannot be enforced inconsistently with Indiana's Right to Farm Act. Covering a violation with a tarp or screening it with a fence is not a defense. Enforcement begins with the county director (Hamilton County Plan Commission) or an officer investigating and serving a notice of violation, which must give the property owner at least 10 but not more than 60 days to comply under IC 36-1-6-2, extendable to 60 days on request.

If the property is not brought into compliance, the county may file a citation in circuit or superior court seeking up to $2,500 for a first violation and up to $7,500 for each violation after, plus a court order to comply, a bill for removal costs, and a lien against the property enforceable through a tax sale.