Leander, TX Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

The City of Leander's Chapter 12 (Traffic and Vehicles) does not contain a dedicated abandoned-vehicle removal article; the city's Code Enforcement division abates these under state law and nuisance provisions. Under Texas Transportation Code Section 683.002, a motor vehicle is 'abandoned' when, among other things, it is left unattended on the right-of-way of a designated county, state, or federal highway for more than 48 hours (24 hours on a turnpike or controlled-access highway right-of-way), or is inoperable, more than five years old, and left unattended on public property for more than 48 hours. A separate state framework, Texas Transportation Code Sections 683.071-683.072, defines a 'junked vehicle' as a self-propelled vehicle that is wrecked, dismantled, partially dismantled, or discarded, or that has remained inoperable for 72 consecutive hours on public property or 30 consecutive days on private property, and that lacks valid registration or inspection. A junked vehicle that is visible from a public place is declared a public nuisance that the city may abate and remove after notice. Leander's Code Enforcement office states it is authorized to abate nuisances, including towing of inoperable vehicles. A vehicle left on a city street is also independently subject to Leander's parking rules and, if it is an RV, trailer, or heavy vehicle, to Sec. 12.04.010.