Hillsboro, OR Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Hillsboro does not write its own abandoned-vehicle removal procedure from scratch; HMC 6.12.010(A) incorporates the provisions of state law governing abandoned motor vehicles by reference, so the substantive process for declaring a vehicle abandoned, towing it and disposing of it tracks Oregon statute. Locally, HMC 6.12.010(B) assigns the Manager to preside over any hearing contesting removal or custody of a vehicle, using the procedures state law prescribes.

The removal duty itself sits in HMC 6.12.020: it is the responsibility of the owner of an abandoned vehicle to immediately cause its removal. If the vehicle owner cannot be found or does not act, that duty shifts to whoever owns or is in charge of the property where the vehicle sits, who must then arrange removal in the owner's absence. This is a strict, owner-first duty rather than a City-initiated towing program; the City's role is administrative, presiding over disputes and enforcing the state-law removal and impound process rather than defining new local grounds for abandonment.

Once a vehicle is impounded under the subchapter, HMC 6.12.050 sets the release terms: a vehicle may be released to the owner upon satisfactory proof of identity and ownership and payment in full of any fines, penalties, and towing and storage charges. All three, fines, penalties, and towing and storage costs, must be paid before release, and the owner must establish identity and ownership to the City's satisfaction. A related but separate rule, HMC 6.12.030, caps how long an off-road or destruction derby vehicle may sit in plain view on any property, 24 hours within a 7-day period unless enclosed; that provision addresses recreational off-road vehicles rather than general abandoned vehicles and runs on its own timeline.