Salinas, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Enforcing agency
- Salinas Chief of Police (Sec. 20-130)
- Abatement notice
- 10-day registered mail notice to owners (Sec. 20-133)
- Hearing request window
- 10 days after notice mailed (Sec. 20-134)
- Appeal window
- 5 days to city council (Sec. 20-136)
- Removal timing
- 5 days after order, 15 after appeal (Sec. 20-137)
- Cost lien
- Unpaid costs become tax lien after 30 days (Sec. 20-139)
- Exemptions
- Enclosed buildings, licensed dismantlers/dealers (Sec. 20-128)
Summary
Salinas Municipal Code Sec. 20-126 through 20-139 (Article XI) declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles on public or private property a public nuisance and gives the police chief authority to abate them. Owners get a 10-day mailed notice, a hearing on request, and a right to appeal to the city council before removal and cost collection.
The accumulation and storage of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles or parts thereof on private or public property not including highways is hereby found to create a condition tending to reduce the value of private property, to promote blight and deterioration, to invite plundering, to create fire hazards, to constitute an attractive nuisance creating a hazard to the health and safety of minors, to create a harborage for rodents and insects, and to be injurious to the health, safety and general welfare. Therefore the presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle or part thereof, on private or public property not including highways, except as expressly hereinafter permitted, is hereby declared to constitute a public nuisance which may be abated as such in accordance with the provisions of this article.
Full Breakdown
Article XI of Chapter 20 of the Salinas Municipal Code (Sec. 20-126 to Sec. 20-139) supplements the state Vehicle Code's authority (Veh. Code Sec. 22660) to treat inoperative, wrecked, dismantled or abandoned vehicles and vehicle parts as a public nuisance. Sec. 20-126 finds that accumulated wrecked vehicles reduce property values, promote blight, invite plundering, create fire hazards, form an attractive nuisance to minors, and harbor rodents and insects; the presence of such a vehicle on private or public property, other than a highway, is declared a public nuisance subject to abatement.
Sec. 20-128 exempts a vehicle completely enclosed in a building and not visible from the street or adjoining property, and a vehicle lawfully stored on the property of a licensed dismantler, vehicle dealer, junk dealer, or other lawfully conducted business. Enforcement runs through the chief of police (Sec. 20-130), who or whose deputies can enter private or public property to inspect a vehicle and order its removal. Before removal, Sec. 20-133 requires a ten-day notice of intention to abate, sent by registered mail to both the land owner and the vehicle owner.
Either owner can request a public hearing within that ten-day window (Sec. 20-134); if no hearing is requested, the chief abates and removes the vehicle without one. At the hearing the land owner can deny responsibility for the vehicle's presence, in which case the city cannot assess removal or administrative costs against that owner's land (Sec. 20-135). Any interested party can appeal the chief's decision to the city council by filing written notice with the city clerk within five days (Sec. 20-136); the council hears the matter without technical rules of evidence.
The vehicle is then removed to a scrap yard or dismantler's yard five days after the abatement order, or fifteen days after an appeal (Sec. 20-137), and the Department of Motor Vehicles is notified within five days of removal (Sec. 20-138).
Violations & Fines
Unpaid administrative and removal costs assessed against a landowner under Sec. 20-135 become a lien if not paid within thirty days of the order or the final disposition of an appeal; Sec. 20-139 directs the city to transmit the unpaid assessment to the county tax collector for collection with the same priority as other city taxes. A landowner who proves the vehicle was placed without consent and was not knowingly tolerated is not charged.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as an abandoned or wrecked vehicle under Salinas's ordinance?
How much notice does Salinas give before removing a vehicle?
Can a property owner appeal a vehicle removal order?
Is a vehicle stored by a licensed dealer or dismantler exempt?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Salinas
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