Royal Oak, MI Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 716, Vehicles, Abandoned and Inoperable, adopted in 1966, works through two overlapping street rules. Section 716-2 makes it unlawful to abandon a vehicle anywhere in the City or to leave one under circumstances that make it reasonably appear abandoned, and it sets a bright-line trigger: any vehicle left unattended on a public street, alley or other public property, or on private property without the owner's permission, for 48 hours or more is deemed abandoned regardless of intent. Section 716-3 adds a stricter, no-grace-period rule for a subset of vehicles: leaving any partially dismantled, nonoperating, wrecked, unlicensed or junked vehicle on a street or highway is unlawful outright, with no 48-hour window, because such a vehicle is treated as a hazard rather than merely an abandonment risk.

The companion private-property rule at § 716-4 gives owners the same 48-hour ceiling before a wrecked or junked vehicle on their own land violates the chapter, unless it sits in an enclosed building, is part of an active lawful business, or is in a City-maintained storage depository. Under § 716-6, the Chief of Police or a designated officer may remove and impound any vehicle that reasonably appears to violate the chapter or to be lost, stolen or unclaimed, holding it under the Michigan Vehicle Code until lawfully claimed.

Penalties under § 716-8 escalate with repeat offenses: a first violation is a municipal civil infraction with a fine of not less than $50 plus costs, a second not less than $100, a third not less than $150, and a fourth or later violation becomes a misdemeanor punishable by up to $500 and up to 90 days in jail.