Salem, OR Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

SRC 50.260 bars anyone from depositing or keeping junk, including a wrecked, neglected, or derelict motor vehicle, in the public right-of-way, out-of-doors on any premises, or in a structure that isn't fully enclosed, unless it falls under a narrow list of exceptions: a state-licensed vehicle-wrecking business, a licensed new-and-used dealer's display vehicle, or a motor-vehicle-service business allowed up to eight vehicles outside an enclosure in an industrial zone or four in a commercial zone. SRC 50.805(k) separately flags keeping more than five cubic yards of junk on residentially zoned property as a declared public nuisance.

SRC 50.265 routes abatement of junk motor vehicles specifically through SRC 102.200 to 102.240: SRC 102.200 lets a police officer order a vehicle towed when its driver is arrested or it sits unattended on private property without permission, with the City's contracted tow firm holding a lien for towing and storage costs. SRC 102.205 and 102.210 require pre- and post-tow notice matching ORS 819.170 and 819.180, and SRC 102.215 lets the owner request a Municipal Court hearing within five days to contest the tow or the charges, or regain the vehicle earlier by posting security under SRC 102.220.

Once appraised under SRC 102.225, an unclaimed vehicle worth $2,000.00 or less is disposed of under SRC 102.235 following ORS 819.210, while one worth $500.00 or less goes under SRC 102.240 to a state-licensed dismantler under ORS 822.110, both after a 30-day unclaimed period.