Palmdale, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Notice period before abatement
- 10 days, mailed certified/registered mail
- Hearing request deadline
- 10 days after notice mailed
- Fence exemption height
- Solid fence 6 feet or higher
- Disposal timing
- 5 days after order, 15 days after appeal
- State authority
- Vehicle Code Section 22660
Summary
Palmdale declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles on private or public property a public nuisance under PMC Chapter 8.20, with a 10-day mailed notice to the land owner and vehicle owner, a right to an administrative hearing, and removal to a scrapyard if unresolved.
The accumulation and storage of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles or parts thereof on private or public property not including highways is found to create a condition tending to reduce the value of private property, to promote blight and deterioration, to invite plundering, to create fire hazards, to constitute an attractive nuisance creating a hazard to the health and safety of minors, to create a harborage for rodents and insects and to be injurious to the health, safety and general welfare. Therefore, the presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle or parts thereof, on private or public property not including highways, except as expressly permitted in this chapter, is declared to constitute a public nuisance which may be abated as such in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.
Full Breakdown
PMC Chapter 8.20 implements Vehicle Code Section 22660 and declares that accumulating or storing an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle, or parts of one, on private or public property (not including highways) creates blight, fire hazards and an attractive nuisance to children, and is a public nuisance subject to abatement. Exemptions under § 8.20.030 cover vehicles fully enclosed in a building and not visible from the street, vehicles stored on private property in connection with a licensed dismantler's, dealer's or junk dealer's business, and vehicles behind a solid fence at least six feet high or otherwise not plainly visible from a highway.
When the City Manager discovers a qualifying vehicle, § 8.20.070 requires a 10-day written notice of intention to abate, mailed by certified or registered mail to both the land owner of record and the vehicle's last registered and legal owners, using a statutory notice form that recites the City's contact address. Any owner may request an administrative hearing within 10 days of mailing, either appearing in person or submitting a sworn written statement denying responsibility; failing to request a hearing waives the right to one and is treated as an admission the vehicle is a nuisance (§§ 8.20.070, 8.20.080).
At the hearing, the hearing officer is not bound by technical rules of evidence, may subpoena witnesses and documents, and can order removal and assess administrative costs and removal costs against the land owner, unless the vehicle was placed there without the owner's consent and the owner did not later acquiesce, in which case no costs may be assessed against the land owner (§ 8.20.090). Under § 8.20.100, the vehicle may be disposed of to a scrapyard or dismantler five days after the abatement order (or the mailed decision), or 15 days after a hearing officer's decision following appeal, and once removed it may never be reconstructed or made operable again.
Violations & Fines
Failure to remove a declared nuisance vehicle after the notice period allows the City to abate and remove it at the owner's expense, assessing both the removal cost and administrative costs against the land owner (unless the owner proves the vehicle was dumped without consent), and a vehicle once scrapped cannot be reconstructed or returned to operation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much notice does Palmdale give before removing an abandoned vehicle?
Can I contest a Palmdale abandoned vehicle abatement order?
Is my vehicle exempt if it's behind a fence in Palmdale?
Who pays for towing an abandoned vehicle in Palmdale?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Palmdale
California rules heatmap·Compare Palmdale to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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Abandoned Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Los Angeles County handle abandoned vehicles.