Rocklin, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Rocklin Municipal Code § 8.08.030 declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles or parts on private or public property, not including highways, a public nuisance, citing findings that such vehicles reduce property values, promote blight, invite plundering, create fire hazards, attract children into danger, and harbor rodents. Chapter 8.08 supplements rather than replaces the state's own vehicle-abatement authority under Vehicle Code § 22660 et seq. Exemptions under § 8.08.040 cover vehicles completely enclosed within a building or otherwise not visible from the street, and vehicles lawfully stored on the property of a licensed dismantler, dealer or junkyard.

The abatement officer, defined in § 8.08.010 as the chief of police or a designee, may enter the property to inspect a suspected nuisance vehicle under § 8.08.050. Before removal, § 8.08.060 requires at least ten days' certified mail notice to both the property owner and the vehicle's last registered owner, stating that the nuisance will be abated by removal if not corrected within ten days and that costs will be assessed as a lien on the property. Either owner may request a public hearing within ten days of that notice under § 8.08.070, and if no hearing is requested the vehicle may be removed without one under § 8.08.110(B).

An abatement officer's post-hearing order can be appealed under Chapter 8.01. A removed vehicle may not be reconstructed or made operable afterward under § 8.08.140, unless it qualifies for horseless-carriage or historical vehicle license plates under Vehicle Code § 5004.