Lower Paxton, PA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- Lower Paxton Township Code § 119-1
- Junked vehicle test
- No current registration plate or yearly tab
- Junkyard trigger
- One or more junked motor vehicles on a premises
- Fence requirement
- Solid, at least eight feet high
- License term
- One calendar year, renew by January 1
- Maximum penalty
- $1,000 fine or 90 days per offense
Summary
In Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Chapter 119 treats any premises with one or more junked motor vehicles as a junkyard. A vehicle without a current registration plate or yearly tab is junked, and running a junkyard without a Board of Supervisors license is a summary offense carrying a fine up to $1,000.
JUNKED MOTOR VEHICLE All types of automobiles, trucks, tractors and self-propelled machinery of all types, except usable farm machinery, for which no motor vehicle registration plate or yearly renewable tab is displayed for the current registration year as issued by the Pennsylvania Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Junked motor vehicles shall also include any trailer, semitrailer or any other article which would be classified a motor vehicle under the Vehicle Code of Pennsylvania, which does not display and retain a registration plate or yearly renewable tab for the current registration year. JUNKYARD Any place where junk, as herein defined, is stored or accumulated. Any premises, as herein defined, having one or more junked motor vehicles and/or unlicensed trailers thereon shall be deemed to be a junkyard.
Full Breakdown
Chapter 119, Junkyards, adopted by the Lower Paxton Township Board of Supervisors on 8-21-1967, is the Township's rule for abandoned and junked vehicles on private land. Section 119-1 defines a junked motor vehicle as an automobile, truck, tractor or other self-propelled machine, except usable farm machinery, that displays no Pennsylvania registration plate or yearly renewable tab for the current registration year, and the same applies to any trailer or semitrailer without a current plate or tab. A premises with one or more junked motor vehicles or unlicensed trailers is deemed a junkyard. Section 119-2 then bars anyone from owning, leasing, operating or maintaining a junkyard without a license.
A licensed junkyard must meet the § 119-7 standards: all junk behind a solid fence of masonry, corrugated metal or wood at least eight feet high, set back at least 15 feet from the public road right-of-way and three feet from other property lines; a maximum of five acres; junked automobiles spaced in rows with at least 15 feet between each double row; junk piled no higher than eight feet; and gasoline and oil drained within 12 hours of a junked automobile arriving, with no more than 20 gallons stored above ground. Operation is barred on Sunday and between 8:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., except to remove wrecked automobiles from a public highway.
The Zoning Ordinance in Chapter 203 uses a second definition: a junk vehicle cannot move under its own power (unless only minor repairs are needed), cannot be towed if a trailer, has been demolished beyond repair, or has been separated from its axles, engine, body or chassis. Its junkyard definition treats two or more scrapped, abandoned, unregistered, inoperable or junked vehicles as a junkyard. Under § 148-2, Property Maintenance Section 302.8.1 bars any vehicle, regardless of condition, from the front yard in R-1, R-2 and RC zones except on an established driveway.
Chapter 196, Vehicles and Traffic, contains no provision using the word abandoned.
Violations & Fines
Under § 119-10 the Board of Supervisors enforces Chapter 119 through a District Justice as a summary offense. Conviction carries a fine of not more than $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding 90 days. Each day a violation continues is a separate offense, and each section violated counts separately. Section 119-9 adds civil or criminal action at law or in equity, and § 119-8 lets the Board or its agent inspect any licensed or applicant premises at any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does a vehicle count as junked in Lower Paxton Township?
How many junked vehicles make a property a junkyard?
Can I keep an inoperable car in my front yard?
What is the penalty for keeping junked vehicles without a license?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Lower Paxton
Compare Lower Paxton to another location·View the Pennsylvania parking rules overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.