Meriden, CT Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Meriden Code § 198-4, enacted under C.G.S. § 14-150a per § 198-1, makes it unlawful to deposit, park, place, permit to remain, store or have any abandoned, inoperable or unregistered motor vehicle, or any part of one, on any property within the City. For a vehicle found on private property, § 198-6A requires a City of Meriden police officer to publish a general notice describing the vehicle and stating the City will remove and dispose of it unless removed within 30 days, and to separately mail or hand-deliver notice to the property owner and the last registered owner.

The property owner or last registered owner can contest the abandonment finding by applying in writing to the City Manager for a hearing before the 30 days expire, which stays the proceedings under § 198-6C; a hearing officer decides after both sides present evidence. If the vehicle is not removed, § 198-6E lets the City take it into custody, with written notice to the owner by certified mail, and the vehicle may be sold or destroyed after 15 days if its value does not exceed $500, or after 90 days if it exceeds $500.

Section 198-6D makes the last registered owner and the property owner jointly and severally liable for removal, storage and sale costs, secured by a lien on the property, unless the property owner reports the vehicle as abandoned and consents to removal in writing. Exemptions under § 198-6F cover City-owned vehicles, dealer or repair-shop inventory, vehicles in enclosed garages, one covered vehicle per owner, and up to one for-sale vehicle at a time for 30 days.