LaPorte County, IN Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 95.03 makes it unlawful for any person to keep, park or store any wrecked, junked or abandoned vehicles or other vehicles, or parts thereof, on private or public property within the unincorporated areas of LaPorte County except in a garage or other enclosure so as not to be exposed to public view, and declares that outdoor storage a nuisance. Section 95.04 lays out the prima facie tests: on private property, a vehicle sitting more than 30 days is presumed junked if it lacks a current plate, has broken or missing windows, flat or missing tires, missing bumpers or fenders, or is missing a transmission, differential, or engine. On public property, a vehicle is presumed abandoned if it's parked illegally, left seven or more days continuously, blocks traffic, is towed and unclaimed after 15 days, or is three or more model years old and visibly inoperable for 30-plus days.

Section 95.05 carves out real exemptions: a properly zoned salvage yard or junkyard enclosed by a fence at least six feet high, a licensed used-car dealer displaying inventory on properly zoned land, and a repair shop storing wrecked cars for up to 30 days (or indefinitely behind a six-foot fence). Boats with a current DNR sticker are also excepted.

Enforcement under § 95.06 starts with a written notice giving the owner ten days to remove the vehicle. If the owner doesn't comply, the county can bring the matter before a hearing officer or the LaPorte Circuit Court, with fines running up to $2,500 per day the violation continues. A vehicle worth less than $500 can be sent straight to a scrap yard, and any towed vehicle unclaimed after 15 days can be sold under the state disposal law adopted into the chapter, I.C. 9-22-1.