Port Townsend, WA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Private-property rule
- No storing wrecked/junk/inoperable vehicles
- First offense penalty
- $66 civil fine
- Repeat penalties
- $114 second, $209 third violation
- Street impoundment
- Police impound abandoned vehicles from streets
- Impound costs
- Owner pays towing and storage
Summary
Port Townsend bans storing worn-out, wrecked, junked, inoperable, or abandoned vehicles on private property as a nuisance; police also impound abandoned vehicles from streets and rights-of-way under a separate parking ordinance.
The existence or maintenance on any premises of a storage area, junk yard or dumping ground for the wrecking or disassembling of automobiles, trucks, trailers, recreational vehicles, boats, tractors or other vehicle or machinery of any kind, or for the storing or leaving of worn out, wrecked, junk, apparently inoperable, or abandoned automobiles, trucks, trailers, recreational vehicles, boats, tractors or other vehicles or machinery of any kind or of any major parts thereof; except as allowed by the other ordinances of the city.
2. Storage of the following on a single-family residential parcel:
a. A recreational vehicle or boat greater than 12 feet in height stored within five feet of a side or rear property line. (Ord. 3317 § 6 (Exh. F), 2023).
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 3364, passed May 18, 2026).
Full Breakdown
PTMC 9.08.030(I)(1) makes it a nuisance to maintain a storage area, junk yard, or dumping ground on any premises for wrecking, disassembling, or storing worn-out, wrecked, junk, apparently inoperable, or abandoned vehicles, trailers, boats, or machinery. A first violation carries a $66 penalty, $114 for a second within a year, and $209 for a third, under PTMC 9.08.040. Separately, PTMC 10.04.142 authorizes the police chief to impound abandoned vehicles left on streets or public rights-of-way, with towing and storage costs charged to the owner under PTMC 10.04.146.
Violations & Fines
Nuisance vehicle storage: $66 first offense, $114 second, $209 third within a year, plus abatement under PTMC 1.20. Impounded street vehicles: towing and storage fees billed to owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I keep a junked car in my yard in Port Townsend?
What happens to an abandoned car left on a Port Townsend street?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Port Townsend
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