Palm Coast, FL Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Palm Coast's abandoned-vehicle framework draws from three sources. First, Chapter 44 (Traffic and Vehicles), Section 44-34, the residential parking provision, requires that vehicles parked or stored on residential property be currently registered, operational, and roadworthy. A vehicle that is inoperable, unregistered, dismantled, or junked, or that sits on the lawn or in an unimproved area, falls outside the standard and is treated as a code violation. Second, Section 44-33 prohibits parking in the paved right-of-way at all times and in unpaved swales or medians between 1:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m.; a vehicle left long enough at the curb or in the swale to be considered abandoned is enforced under either provision. Third, Florida Statute 705.103 (the Coleman Act) governs the removal of derelict and abandoned vehicles statewide: it defines an abandoned property and gives the local governmental entity or law enforcement the authority to take custody of an abandoned vehicle following the statutory title-search and notice procedure, and to sell the vehicle if not redeemed. Palm Coast Code Enforcement (160 Lake Avenue, Palm Coast, FL 32164, (386) 986-3764) handles complaint-based enforcement on private property. The process begins with a written Notice of Violation and a reasonable compliance period; cases that do not come into compliance move to the Palm Coast Code Enforcement Board, which can impose escalating daily fines and order abatement. Recent board minutes indicate typical orders giving five days to comply with $25-per-day fines for failure to abate an abandoned vehicle violation. Code Enforcement cannot physically remove a vehicle from private property without a Code Enforcement Board order or court process; on public rights-of-way, FS 705.103 authorizes more direct removal by the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.