High Point, NC Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Private-property grace period
- 2 hours without owner consent
- City-property limit
- 24 hours
- Public street limit
- 7 days
- Junked-vehicle value threshold
- Over 5 years old, worth under $500
- Storage hold before disposal
- 30 days
- Owner notice deadline
- 24 hours in-state, 72 hours out-of-state
Summary
High Point bans abandoning a motor vehicle on city-owned property or on private property anywhere in the city. The community housing and development director can declare an abandoned or junked vehicle a health or safety hazard, remove it to storage, and sell or destroy it under a set timeline.
(a)Abandonment of motor vehicles prohibited. It shall be unlawful for any person to abandon a motor vehicle on city-owned property and private property within the city and on city-owned property wherever located.(b)Removal of abandoned motor vehicles. The city may remove to a storage garage or area abandoned motor vehicles that are found to be in violation of this article. An abandoned motor vehicle may not be removed from private property without the written request of the owner, lessee, or occupant of the premises unless the city council or a duly authorized city official or employee has declared the vehicle to be a health or safety hazard.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 9 | Development Ordinance: Supplement 14).
Full Breakdown
Section 9-2-165(a) states the core prohibition: it shall be unlawful for any person to abandon a motor vehicle on city-owned property and private property within the city and on city-owned property wherever located. Section 9-2-162(c) defines an abandoned motor vehicle as one left on a street in violation of parking rules, left on city property more than 24 hours, left on private property without the owner's, occupant's or lessee's consent for more than two hours, or left on any public street for more than seven days or judged a hazard by law enforcement.
00. Under § 9-2-165(b), the city can tow an abandoned vehicle to storage, but may not remove one from private property without the owner's, lessee's or occupant's written request unless the city has declared it a health or safety hazard. Registered owners get notice within 24 hours for in-state plates or 72 hours for out-of-state plates, per § 9-2-165(c), and may request a probable-cause hearing before the Guilford County magistrate. 00 or more at public auction after 20 days' written notice to the owner and lienholders.
Section 9-2-165(e) exempts vehicles inside an enclosed building, on an operating business's lot where the vehicle is necessary to the enterprise, or in a lawful city storage depository.
Violations & Fines
Abandoning a motor vehicle in violation of § 9-2-165 subjects the offender to civil penalties under § 1-1-4 and G.S. 160A-175, plus injunctions and other equitable remedies authorized by § 9-2-165(l)(1). An unpaid penalty may be recovered by the city as a civil debt if not paid within 15 days after citation, and the city may combine any of these remedies with towing and sale of the vehicle.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a car sit on private property in High Point before it counts as abandoned?
Can High Point remove a junked car from my own driveway without asking?
What happens to a towed vehicle if the owner never claims it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in High Point
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Abandoned Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in this county handle abandoned vehicles.