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Plantation, FL Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Some Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Private-property threshold
24 hours without owner consent
Removal notice period
10 days to request a hearing
Hearing venue
Code Enforcement Board or Special Master
Post-hearing compliance window
48 hours
Unpaid-cost fine
$250 per violation
Reclaim window before sale
2 months

Summary

Plantation bans storing an abandoned vehicle in the open on public or private property under Code of Ordinances Sec. 12-22. A vehicle is legally abandoned if unlicensed, left unmoved on public property 24+ hours, blocking traffic, left on private property without consent 24+ hours, or inoperative from missing or defective parts.

Abandoned means: (1)Any vehicle located on public property or private property that does not have lawfully affixed thereto or displayed thereon a valid, unexpired license plate that permits its operation upon the highways of the State of Florida.(2)Any vehicle or part thereof that is left on public property continuously without being moved for a period of twenty-four (24) hours or more...(4)Any vehicle or part thereof that has remained on private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of such private property, for a continuous period of twenty-four (24) hours or more...No person shall deposit, store or keep, or permit to be deposited, stored or kept, in the open upon public or private property an abandoned vehicle.

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 30 Update 1).

Full Breakdown

Once the code enforcement officer identifies an abandoned vehicle under Sec. W. 73rd Avenue. A copy is mailed to the vehicle's owner and, for private-property vehicles, to the property owner listed on Broward County's tax rolls under Sec. 12-23(c)-(d). If no hearing is requested within 10 days, or the owner fails to comply within 48 hours of a hearing decision, the enforcement officer may tow the vehicle and have it stored, destroyed, traded, donated, or sold, with proceeds going to the city's general fund. Private-property removals additionally require a specific finding such as a fire hazard, traffic hazard, attractive nuisance to children, unsafe wind-hazard condition, use for habitation, or criminal activity under Sec.

12-23(f). Under Sec. 12-24, an owner may reclaim a stored vehicle within two months by paying all removal, storage, and fine charges; unclaimed vehicles may then be sold as junk under Sec. 1, with any balance after costs deposited into the general fund.

Violations & Fines

Owners who fail to pay removal, storage, and destruction costs after notice face a $250 fine under Sec. 12-23(e)-(f), on top of liability for the underlying towing and storage charges. Interfering with an enforcement officer carrying out a removal is a second-degree misdemeanor under the state trespass-interference statute adopted by reference in Sec. 12-26, punishable per F.S. §§ 775.082-775.083.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long can a car sit on my street before Plantation calls it abandoned?
Twenty-four hours. Sec. 12-21 defines an abandoned vehicle on public property as one left unmoved for 24 hours or more, or one displaying no valid, unexpired license plate, regardless of how long it has sat there.
Can Plantation tow a car off my own driveway?
Yes, if it meets the private-property definition (left without the owner's consent for 24+ hours) and the city finds a specific condition under Sec. 12-23(f), such as a fire, traffic, or attractive-nuisance hazard. A 10-day notice and hearing right apply first.
What happens if I never respond to the notice on my car?
If you do not request a hearing within 10 days, the enforcement officer may tow the vehicle. You can still reclaim it within two months under Sec. 12-24 by paying removal, storage, and fine costs before the city sells or destroys it.

Sources & Official References

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