Mount Vernon, NY Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- City Code § 256-12.2
- Unclaimed period before notice
- 15 days after towing
- Auction deadline
- within 40 days of notice
- State cross-reference
- VTL § 1224 abandoned vehicles
- Redemption tow fee
- up to $40 (vehicles)
- Police-use cap
- 2 vehicles kept per year
Summary
Mount Vernon can tow any vehicle abandoned or illegally parked on a City street, and if it goes unclaimed for 15 days after towing, the Commissioner must notify the owner and sell it at public auction within 40 days. Vehicles abandoned under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1224 follow that state statute's own disposal process instead.
If a vehicle, other than an abandoned vehicle as defined in the Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1224, Subdivision 1, remains unclaimed for at least 15 days after being towed pursuant to the Traffic Code, the Commissioner shall give written notice of removal to the last registered owner and any lienholder of record of said unclaimed towed vehicle, if such can be ascertained with reasonable diligence, by certified and regular mail... ... That if the vehicle is not claimed within 15 days, it will be sold at a public auction under the direction of the Comptroller or the Comptroller's designee within 40 days from the date of notice or otherwise placed in use by the Police Department as the Commissioner may direct... ... Abandoned vehicles as herein defined in § 1224 of the Vehicle and Traffic Law shall be disposed of in accordance with the provisions of that section.
Full Breakdown
City of Mount Vernon Code § 256-12 authorizes the Commissioner of Public Safety to tow or remove, at the owner's risk, any vehicle abandoned on a street designated a snow emergency route, any vehicle obstructing traffic, or any vehicle abandoned during a snowstorm, flood, fire or other emergency in violation of a police officer's direction under Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1602. 2A requires the Commissioner to send written notice by certified and regular mail to the last registered owner and any lienholder, stating the date of towing, the place of storage, and that the vehicle will be sold at public auction under the Comptroller's direction within 40 days of the notice unless claimed, or placed into Police Department use instead, capped at two vehicles per year. Notice of the auction must run in the City's official newspaper at least five days beforehand. 2B.
Violations & Fines
Redemption before sale requires paying the towing contractor a charge of up to $40 (up to $100 for a trailer or semitrailer) plus storage of up to $5 per day for the first five days and $10 per day after that (up to $50 and $100 per day for trailers), plus a $25 administrative fee to the Department of Public Safety under § 256-12C.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Mount Vernon
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Abandoned Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Westchester County handle abandoned vehicles.