Queen Anne's County, MD Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 19-2(K) sets the vehicle rule for unincorporated Queen Anne's County: a person cannot allow the presence of more than one vehicle that is not legally tagged for use on public roads, streets, highways or waterways. Under § 19-1, a vehicle is any device for transporting goods, passengers or equipment and includes cars, trucks, motorcycles and boats, and § 19-2(K)(3) adds trailers. An operational off-road recreational vehicle manufactured for off-road use and recreation is exempt whether or not it is tagged. A second, separate limit sits in § 19-2(I): a person cannot allow junk, garbage, refuse or rubbish to remain on any property for more than 30 days if it is stored in an unsafe or unsanitary manner or within 200 feet of a public or private road or dwelling.

The code defines junk to include wrecked, scrapped, ruined or dismantled motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts, and its rubbish definition lists two or more untagged vehicles. Junkyards allowed and operated under the Queen Anne's County Zoning Regulations are carved out of the 30-day rule. The Enforcement Officer, who is designated by the County Commissioners, can serve a written notice requiring the person responsible to abate within a stated time. The County Commissioners can then abate and assess the property owner the cost plus a $100 administrative fee, secured as a lien collectable like County real estate taxes.

Boats follow a separate track. Under § 20-17, the County Commissioners can take possession of and sell or dispose of a boat or ship that is apparently abandoned in the County, after notifying the last known owner or, if no owner is known, printing a notice in a newspaper of general circulation for three consecutive weeks. A person claiming a legal interest has three years after the sale to file a claim under § 20-18. A vessel that sinks in a County slip must be raised within 10 days or the County removes it and bills the last registered owner under § 20-16.