Hendersonville, TN Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Hendersonville uses a layered abandoned-vehicle framework. The street-side and tow-custody rules are set by Tennessee state law. Under Tennessee Code Annotated 55-16, a police department, sheriff, or other public authority is authorized to take into custody any motor vehicle found abandoned, immobile, or unattended on public or private property. TCA 55-16-105 requires written notice to be sent to the registered owner and any lienholders by registered mail or overnight delivery within three business days of taking the vehicle into custody, identifying the year, make, model, and vehicle identification number of the vehicle (if ascertainable) and the location of the vehicle, and informing them they have 10 days from the date of the notice to appeal the determination or to reclaim the vehicle on payment of all towing, preservation, storage, or other charges. If there is no response to the registered mail notice, there shall be additional notice by one publication in a newspaper of general circulation in the area where the vehicle was abandoned. Under TCA 55-16-106, vehicles not reclaimed within 10 days of mailing of the notice may be sold at public auction; TCA 55-16-108 governs disposal to demolishers. The Tennessee Department of Revenue treats a vehicle as abandoned if it remains on private property without consent of the owner or property manager for more than 48 hours, or remains stored or parked in a garage, trailer park, or storage or parking lot for more than 30 consecutive days. The Hendersonville Police Department handles on-street abandoned-vehicle complaints and tow-custody process. On private property, the City of Hendersonville Zoning Enforcement page lists 'inoperable vehicles on the property' as one of the property maintenance and zoning enforcement priorities, enforced through the Planning Department's five-step process: initial inspection, first notice (7 to 60 days to cure depending on infraction type), second notice, citation, and Municipal Court. The 2021 International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC), formally adopted by the city effective July 1, 2025 by the Ordinance 2025-03 series, provides additional standards for unsafe and inoperable vehicles on premises.