Rapides Parish, LA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Where banned
- Parish street and road rights-of-way
- Voluntary removal window
- 7 calendar days from posted notice
- Storage hold period
- 14 calendar days before disposal
- Reclaim cost
- Owner pays customary towing and storage fees
- Related chapter
- Junk and junk yards, Chapter 16
Summary
The Police Jury bans storing or abandoning vehicles within parish street and road rights-of-way. A posted notice gives the owner seven days to move the vehicle before the parish has it towed, and it can be sold to satisfy towing and storage charges after 14 days unclaimed.
(a)Prohibited. The Rapides Parish Police Jury will henceforth prohibit the storage and abandonment of vehicles of any kind within the bounds of parish street and road rights-of-way, particularly in wards throughout Rapides Parish.(b)Notice, removal. A notice of violation will be posted on any vehicle violating this section and the owner will be allowed a maximum of seven (7) calendar days from the date of the notice to remove the vehicle from the right-of-way. In the event that the vehicle is not voluntarily moved, it will be the right of the parish to have such vehicle removed by a private concern for storage.(c)Storage, disposition of violating vehicles. Any vehicle removed from a parish right-of-way will be kept in storage for a period of fourteen (14) calendar days, during which time the owner of such vehicle will be allowed to claim the vehicle, providing the owner pays customary towing and storage fees.
Full Breakdown
Section 18-1 of the Motor Vehicles and Traffic chapter prohibits storing or abandoning any vehicle within the bounds of parish street and road rights-of-way, a rule the code notes applies particularly across the parish's wards. Enforcement runs on a two-step timeline. First, a notice of violation is posted directly on the offending vehicle, and the owner gets a maximum of seven calendar days from the date of that notice to remove it voluntarily. If the vehicle is not moved within that window, the parish has the authority to have it towed by a private towing and storage concern.
Second, once towed, the vehicle sits in storage for fourteen calendar days, during which the owner may reclaim it by paying the customary towing and storage fees charged by the storage firm. S. 32:476. The section is cross-referenced to the parish's separate junk and junk yard rules in Chapter 16 for vehicles stored on private property rather than the right-of-way.
Violations & Fines
Section 18-1 does not set out its own fine schedule; the parish's remedy is administrative, towing and storing the vehicle at the owner's expense and, if unclaimed after fourteen days, releasing it to the storage firm to satisfy those charges. Owners who want their vehicle back must pay the towing and storage fees the storage firm charges before reclaiming it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can a vehicle sit abandoned on a Rapides Parish road right-of-way?
Can I get my towed vehicle back from Rapides Parish?
Does this rule cover vehicles stored on private property?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Rapides Parish
Compare Rapides Parish to another location·View the Louisiana parking rules overview
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