Madera County, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

010 that abandoned, wrecked, inoperative or dismantled vehicles reduce property values, invite crime, create fire and environmental hazards, and harbor pests, so their presence on public or private property, including highways, is a public nuisance. 060(A) sets the core prohibition: it is unlawful to abandon, store, or leave such a vehicle or its parts anywhere in the county for more than seventy-two consecutive hours unless it sits inside a 'completely enclosed structure' (at least three fixed walls, a roof, a permanent floor, and a door large enough for vehicle entry), is stored lawfully on the property of a licensed dealer, wrecking yard, or junk dealer, or falls within a two-hundred-square-foot household-storage exemption for scrap and debris.

030 exempts vehicles enclosed within an eight-foot wall or fence and not visible from the street. 050 is shared by the county's code enforcement division, the Madera County Sheriff, and the California Highway Patrol. 070 requires a ten-day written notice of intention, served on both the landowner and the last registered vehicle owner, that spells out the right to demand a public hearing to contest the nuisance finding before the county abates and removes the vehicle and assesses the cost against the property.