Hawthorne, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

The City of Hawthorne addresses abandoned and inoperable vehicles primarily through Hawthorne Municipal Code Chapter 10.68. That chapter declares that the accumulation and storage of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles or parts on private or public property reduces property values, promotes blight and deterioration, constitutes an attractive nuisance, and is a public nuisance that may be abated. After the city declares a vehicle a public nuisance, the code sets a multi-day waiting period before disposal: roughly five days after adoption of the abatement order (or five days after notice, or fifteen days after the governing body authorizes removal on appeal), the vehicle may be removed to a scrapyard or automobile dismantler. Once removed, the vehicle may not be reconstructed or made operable again. Within five days of removal, the city must notify the Department of Motor Vehicles, including any available registration, certificate of title, and license plates. If the owner does not pay administrative and removal costs within thirty days, those costs are assessed against the parcel and transmitted to the tax collector with the same priority as other city taxes. For vehicles abandoned on the public street, the 72-hour standing limit and California Vehicle Code 22651 also authorize tagging, citation, and removal.