Laguna Niguel, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Article 8 of Title 7 (Sections 7-4-800 through 7-4-814) gives the Laguna Niguel chief of police authority, under Vehicle Code Section 22669, to abate and remove abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles or parts left on private or public property, not including highways and streets. Section 7-4-800 finds that such vehicles reduce property values, invite plundering, create fire hazards, attract minors into an unsafe condition, and harbor rodents and insects, and it declares their presence a public nuisance. The article exempts vehicles fully enclosed in a building out of public view and vehicles lawfully stored on the property of a licensed dismantler, dealer or junk dealer under Section 7-4-802.

Before removal, Section 7-4-808 requires a ten-day mailed notice of intention to both the land owner and the vehicle's last registered owner, unless both have already signed release waivers. Either owner may request a public hearing within that ten-day window; if none is requested, the chief of police or a designee may abate and remove the vehicle without a hearing under Section 7-4-809. At a hearing held under Section 7-4-810, the chief of police is not bound by technical rules of evidence and can order removal and assess administrative and removal costs against the land unless the vehicle was placed there without the land owner's consent or acquiescence.

A decision may be appealed to the city council within five days under Section 7-4-811, whose ruling is final. Unpaid costs are assessed against the parcel and collected under Government Code Section 25845 per Section 7-4-814, and the state Department of Motor Vehicles must be notified of the removal within five days under Section 7-4-813.