Lakeville, MN Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 4-1-6, Junk Motor Vehicles
- Definition source
- § 11-2-3: unlicensed, dismantled, or salvage vehicles
- Criminal penalty
- Misdemeanor under § 4-1-2
- Notice period
- 10 days to abate after written notice
- Appeal window
- 7 days, written request to City Clerk
- High-cost trigger
- Above $3,000 requires Council hearing
Summary
In the City of Lakeville, Minnesota, keeping a junk motor vehicle on any property, public or private, is a declared public nuisance under City Code Section 4-1-6. The zoning code's Section 11-2-3 defines a junk vehicle broadly: unlicensed, partially dismantled, stripped for parts, or held for scrapping. Planning and Community Development and code enforcement can order the owner to remove it or face a misdemeanor charge and City-ordered abatement.
The keeping of junk motor vehicles defined under section 11-2-3 of this Code, except as allowed by this Code, is hereby declared to be a nuisance subject to administrative, civil, and/or criminal enforcement actions by the City.
Full Breakdown
Section 4-1-6 of the Lakeville City Code declares that keeping a junk motor vehicle, except as allowed elsewhere in the Code, is a nuisance subject to administrative, civil, or criminal enforcement. The zoning ordinance's Section 11-2-3 supplies the operative definition: any motor vehicle not in a condition for legal operation on public streets, partially dismantled, used as a parts source, kept for scrapping or salvage, or not properly licensed in Minnesota (seasonal service vehicles excepted for part of the year). Because the nuisance declaration in Chapter 1 of Title 4 is not limited to streets or the right-of-way, it reaches junk vehicles sitting in driveways, yards, and other private lots as well as public property.
The City's general nuisance abatement procedure, Sections 4-1-7 through 4-1-11, governs enforcement: the City Administrator or a designee must give the property owner written notice specifying the required control measures and a compliance window of ten days or a reasonable time set by the City. The owner may appeal in writing to the City Clerk within seven days. If no timely appeal is filed and the vehicle is not removed, the City may enter the property and abate the nuisance itself, billing the owner for the cost, including administrative costs, through the City Clerk's office.
Where the City's good-faith cost estimate exceeds $3,000, the notice must instead route the matter to a City Council hearing before abatement proceeds. Unpaid abatement bills can be certified as a special assessment against the property under Minnesota Statutes Sections 429.061 and 429.101. The City repealed its separate Junked, Dismantled Vehicles chapter (former Title 6, Chapter 2) by Ordinance 1047 in 2021, leaving the Title 4 nuisance route as the operative enforcement tool for junk vehicles citywide.
Violations & Fines
Anyone who creates or maintains this nuisance is guilty of a misdemeanor under Section 4-1-2, punishable as set by state law. Beyond criminal charges, the City can abate the nuisance directly after unheeded notice and bill the owner for removal and administrative costs; unpaid bills become a special assessment against the property. Abatement estimated above $3,000 must go to a City Council hearing before the City acts, and emergency abatement without prior notice is allowed if the vehicle poses an imminent hazard.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the junk vehicle rule apply to my driveway or backyard?
What makes a vehicle 'junk' under Lakeville's code?
How much time do I get before the City removes the vehicle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lakeville
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