Rockingham County, VA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Sec. 11-27(a) lets a police officer remove any motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer left unattended on public streets or grounds that is either hazardous, parked in violation of law, left more than ten days on public or private property other than the owner's, or abandoned without the property owner's permission. The same section creates a presumption of abandonment when a vehicle both lacks a current license plate, a current county, city or town sticker, or a valid state inspection sticker, and has remained in one specific location for four days without being moved.

Sec. 11-29(a) separately makes it unlawful for anyone to leave a motor vehicle, trailer, semitrailer or part of one on the private property of another person without that owner's consent; under Sec. 11-29(b), the property owner can complain after 72 hours and have it removed by police to storage. Sec. 11-28 lets the sheriff contract with private garages for towing and storage of vehicles removed under these sections, with the requesting party responsible for indemnifying the county. A separate Article V (Sec. 11-31 through 11-37) governs a related but distinct 'abandoned motor vehicle' classification, covers notice to the registered owner and any lienholders, and authorizes disposal by public auction or, for inoperable vehicles, direct transfer to a demolisher. Sec. 11-2 confines Article IV's rules to the unincorporated county outside Harrisonburg and the seven incorporated towns.