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

Imperial County addresses abandoned vehicles through two tracks. On county roads, Title 10, Chapter 10.24, Section 10.24.010 provides that a vehicle left standing for 72 or more consecutive hours may be removed by the California Highway Patrol or a salaried sheriff's deputy to the nearest available garage - the same threshold as the California Vehicle Code's abandonment provisions. On private or public property, abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles and parts are regulated as a public nuisance under the county's Title 9 Land Use Ordinance, Division 27 (Abandoned, Wrecked, Dismantled or Inoperative Vehicles). This county abatement scheme is adopted under the authority of California Vehicle Code Section 22660, which lets counties establish procedures to abate and remove such vehicles as public nuisances from private and public land and to recover the costs. Imperial County Planning & Development Services code enforcement handles these cases, which typically begin with a notice of intent to abate and an opportunity for a hearing before the vehicle is removed. Inoperative or junk vehicles stored on residential parcels are among the most common code-enforcement complaints the county receives. Vehicles removed from private property by a tow operator are also subject to the procedural protections in Vehicle Code Section 22658.