Rochester, NY Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 90-15(A) sets the baseline ban: a junked vehicle cannot be parked, stored or left in the open, with the sole exception of a vehicle necessary for the operation of a business enterprise lawfully situated on that property; any other junked vehicle in the open must be immediately removed to an approved location. Section 90-15(B) gives the Commissioner power to administer New York Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1224 and Title 15 NYCRR Part 18 for abandoned vehicles on private or city-owned property (excluding public highways and city lots/garages), and to issue outdoor storage permits for unlicensed vehicles: one passenger vehicle per property, no permit if there's an off-street parking deficiency, the vehicle must be covered with a fitted commercial tarpaulin, the permit runs six months and is renewable for a $25 fee, and the applicant must be the resident owner.

Section 90-15(C) lays out due process before removal from private property: written notice by first-class mail with delivery confirmation to both the property owner and any known vehicle owner, 10 days from mailing to request a hearing or remove the vehicle voluntarily, and at that hearing the owner may be represented by counsel, submit evidence, summon witnesses and cross-examine opposing witnesses, with technical rules of evidence relaxed. Section 90-15(D) declares any junked, abandoned or unlicensed vehicle in violation a public nuisance, which the City's sale of the vehicle helps abate.