Lafayette, IN Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 7.06.140, in Chapter 7.06 Stopping, Standing and Parking, bars leaving any disassembled, inoperable, unlicensed, junked, wrecked or abandoned vehicle, or any vehicle at all, on a Lafayette street, alley or city-controlled parking lot or garage for more than five days continuously; an unauthorized vehicle found in violation may be removed under a Police Department order at the owner's expense. Section 7.06.150 addresses the same problem on private property, declaring abandoned, unplated or inoperable vehicles a public nuisance and safety hazard. It defines an "abandoned vehicle" as one at least three model years old, mechanically inoperable, and left in a location visible from public property, including a vehicle merely covered by a tarpaulin or similar material, and defines an "inoperable vehicle" as one partially dismantled, mechanically inoperable or unsafe to drive.

The section exempts vehicles built for licensed raceways, vehicles at a sales lot or servicing facility, and vehicles on a licensed automobile scrapyard. A Police Department or Ordinance Violations Bureau member who finds a violating vehicle tags it with a notice giving the owner fifteen days to correct the problem; if the vehicle remains after that period, the Police Department may have it towed to storage at the owner's expense. Both sections carry the Chapter 7.06 catch-all fine in § 7.06.990(A)(8): $50.00 per violation.