Lacey, WA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

The vehicle rule is section 302.8 of the International Property Maintenance Code as amended in LMC 14.16.016. Except as provided in other regulations, no inoperative or unlicensed vehicle can be parked, kept or stored on any premises in the City of Lacey, and no vehicle can at any time be in a state of major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled. Painting of vehicles is prohibited unless conducted inside an approved spray booth. The rule applies to any vehicle as defined in RCW 46.04.670. The single exception allows a vehicle of any type to undergo major overhaul, including body work, if the work is performed inside a structure or similarly enclosed area designed and approved for that purpose.

A second provision approaches the same problem as a nuisance. Section 9.52.010(C) declares a public nuisance the accumulation of a motor vehicle or motor vehicles incapable of being operated or unlicensed for the current year, along with parts, glass, old appliances, old iron or other metal, old lumber and other junk, that is not completely fenced off or enclosed from public view and public access. Section 9.52.020 then makes it a misdemeanor to allow that condition to exist after the date set for correction by a city enforcement officer under Chapter 14.40 LMC.

Enforcement runs through two tracks. Under § 14.16.020, violations of the adopted Property Maintenance Code are a misdemeanor unless that code provides otherwise, and section 106.3 treats failure to comply with a notice of violation or order as a misdemeanor, with city action charged against the real estate as a lien. Chapter 14.40 adds the civil route: voluntary correction first, then a Notice of Civil Violation with a hearing before the hearings examiner, and a penalty of $100.00 on the first day, $200.00 on the second, $300.00 on the third, $400.00 on the fourth and $500.00 per day after four days. The city can abate the condition and bill the person responsible for hauling, storage and disposal expenses within ten calendar days under § 14.40.060(D).

The same amended section 302.10 also bars living, sleeping or cooking in a recreational vehicle or other vehicle while parked on public or private property.