Kenosha County, WI Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- County Code § 7.40(1)
- Abandonment threshold
- 48 hours unattended without permission
- Higher-value hold period
- 14 days after notice, over $100
- Low-value vehicles
- Direct sale to licensed salvage dealer
- DMV notice
- Within 5 days of sale or disposal
Summary
Kenosha County Code § 7.40 deems a motor vehicle, trailer, or mobile home abandoned once it sits unattended on public or private property, without the owner's permission, for more than 48 hours, making it a public nuisance. The Sheriff impounds the vehicle, and depending on its value, either auctions it after notice or sells it directly to a licensed salvage dealer.
No person shall leave unattended any motor vehicle, trailer, semi-trailer or mobile home on any public highway or private or public property, for such time and under such circumstances as to cause the vehicle to reasonably appear to have been abandoned. Whenever any vehicle has been left unattended without the permission of the property owner more than 48 hours, the vehicle is deemed abandoned and constitutes a public nuisance.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 37 (2026), passed March 17, 2026).
Full Breakdown
40(1), leaving a motor vehicle, trailer, semi-trailer, or mobile home unattended on any public highway or private or public property, for a time and under circumstances suggesting abandonment, violates the ordinance; more than 48 hours without the property owner's permission automatically makes the vehicle abandoned and a public nuisance. Subsection (2) directs the Sheriff to impound the vehicle until it is lawfully claimed or disposed of, though a deputy can junk it immediately if towing and storage costs would exceed its value and it is not needed as evidence.
Any Sheriff's deputy who finds an abandoned vehicle on public or private property must have it removed to an impoundment site the Sheriff designates, per subsection (3). For vehicles the Sheriff determines are worth more than $100, subsection (4) requires 14 days of storage after certified-mail notice to the owner and any lienholders, giving them a chance to reclaim it by paying accrued charges, after which the Sheriff sells it at public auction following a Class 1 newspaper notice under Wis. ch. 985. Vehicles valued under $100 can instead go straight to a licensed salvage dealer under subsection (5), once confirmed not stolen.
Subsection (6) requires the Sheriff to notify the Wisconsin Division of Motor Vehicles of any sale or disposal within 5 days. 60 instead routes other Chapter 7 traffic violations to state forfeiture law.
Violations & Fines
There is no separate county fine listed for § 7.40 itself; the consequence is impoundment. A vehicle abandoned more than 48 hours is towed to a Sheriff-designated lot, and the owner must pay accrued towing and storage charges to reclaim it within the notice period. Unclaimed vehicles worth over $100 are sold at public auction after 14 days' notice; those worth less go directly to a licensed salvage dealer.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Sheriff consider a vehicle abandoned in Kenosha County?
What happens to my car after it's impounded as abandoned?
Can the Sheriff junk my car immediately instead of storing it?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Kenosha County
Compare Kenosha County to another location·View the Wisconsin parking rules overview
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