Haverhill, MA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 244, Article II bans storing, in the open or in public view on private property, any dismantled, partially dismantled, inoperative, wrecked or junked truck or motor vehicle, or any worn-out, cast-off or discarded auto parts, under § 244-3. Each day the prohibited items remain is a separate offense. Section 244-4 exempts duly licensed junk and secondhand dealers and licensed auto dealers from the ban, and provides that M.G.L. c. 90, §§ 22B and 22C on abandoned vehicles control over the local article wherever they apply.

Enforcement runs through the Building Inspector: under § 244-5, the Inspector or a designee tags the vehicle with a legal notice ordering the owner to abate the violation or remove the vehicle, and after five days may order the vehicle towed and stored at the expense of either the vehicle's owner or the landowner where it sits. If towing and storage costs exceed the vehicle's value, the Inspector may order it sold, destroyed or otherwise disposed of. This article is distinct from Chapter 244, Article I, which separately caps unregistered vehicle storage on any lot at one (with a display exception for licensed used-car dealers) and bars unregistered commercial vehicles on residential land, enforced with a $300 daily fine after Building Inspector notice under § 244-2.

Together the two articles let Haverhill address both an unregistered daily-driver left too long and a stripped or wrecked hulk sitting on a residential lot.