Manchester, CT Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 242-16H of the Manchester Property Maintenance Code addresses motor vehicles on residential and other premises: except as otherwise regulated, an owner or occupant may keep no more than one currently unregistered motor vehicle on a premises, and no vehicle may sit at any time in a state of major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled. The code carves out three exceptions. First, a vehicle undergoing major overhaul, including bodywork, is permitted as long as the work happens inside a structure or an enclosed area designed and approved for that purpose, rather than in the open.

Second, unregistered vehicles displayed for sale or repair are allowed on the premises of businesses licensed by the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles as new or used car dealers or automobile repair facilities. Third, construction, road maintenance, utility maintenance, municipal maintenance, or United States Postal Service vehicles and equipment that are unregistered or under active repair are permitted if screened behind an eight-foot opaque fence or equivalent plantings to minimize the view from a public street or neighboring land. The same section reinforces that abandoned vehicles are also listed as one of the conditions that can independently make a property BLIGHTED PREMISES under Section 242-13, tying an abandoned or disassembled vehicle violation into the Town's broader blight notice, citation and $100-per-day fine process under Sections 242-6 and 242-7.