Merced, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

34 declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles a public nuisance under state authority granted by California Vehicle Code Section 22660 (Sec. 010), and Sec. 150 makes it an infraction to leave one on any private or public property, including highways, for more than 72 consecutive hours. The rule doesn't apply if the vehicle sits completely enclosed in a building out of public view, or is lawfully stored at a licensed dismantler, vehicle dealer, or junkyard (Sec. 030). To abate a nuisance vehicle, the vehicle abatement officer designated by the city manager (Sec.

050) mails a ten-day notice of intent to the land owner and the vehicle's last registered and legal owner under Sec. 090; the notice can be skipped if both owners sign a release, or if the vehicle lacks a motor, transmission, or wheels, is worth less than $300 as determined by the police chief, is a declared public-safety nuisance, and sits on agricultural or unimproved land. Either owner can request a public hearing within ten days of the notice; if no one asks for one, the city can order removal without a hearing (Sec.

100). At a hearing, the enforcement hearing officer can order the vehicle removed and assess administrative and removal costs against the land, unless the vehicle was placed there without the land owner's consent and the owner never acquiesced to it (Sec. 110). Once removed, the vehicle can be scrapped after five days and cannot be reconstructed or made road-legal again unless it qualifies for historic or horseless-carriage plates (Sec. 120). Unpaid administrative and removal costs become a lien on the property, collected with county taxes, if not paid within thirty days (Sec. 140).