Santa Clara, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Time limit before violation
- More than 3 days on the property
- State authority
- Vehicle Code § 22660, per SCCC § 10.10.010
- Notice period
- 10-day certified-mail notice before hearing
- Enclosed-vehicle exception
- Not visible from street inside a building
- Removal timing
- 12 days after determination if no hearing requested
- Refusal penalty
- Misdemeanor under SCCC § 10.10.150
- Appeals track
- City Council, then Veh. Code § 22650 et seq.
Summary
Santa Clara treats an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle sitting on private or public property (not a highway) for more than three days as a public nuisance under Chapter 10.10 of the City Code. The City Manager can enter the property, order removal, and, after a ten-day notice and hearing process, tow the vehicle at the owner's expense; refusing to remove it is a misdemeanor.
§ 10.10.010. Purpose - Definitions. ...under Section 22660 of the Vehicle Code to remove abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles or parts thereof as public nuisances... the presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle or parts 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 chapter. ... § 10.10.140(a). It shall be unlawful for any person to abandon, park, store, or leave... any licensed or unlicensed vehicle or parts thereof which is in an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative condition upon any private property or public property not including highways within the city for a period in excess of three days unless such vehicle or parts thereof is completely enclosed within a building in a lawful manner where it is not plainly visible from the street... or unless such vehicle is stored or parked in a lawful manner on private property in connection with the business of a licensed dismantler, licensed vehicle dealer or a junk yard.
Full Breakdown
010. 020. 140(a), makes it unlawful to abandon, park, store or leave such a vehicle on private or public property (excluding highways) "for a period in excess of three days" absent one of those exclusions. 040. 080, within that ten-day window, and a landowner may instead submit a sworn statement denying responsibility. 120 sets removal timing: twelve days after the nuisance determination if no hearing is requested, ten days after the appeals officer's removal order if no City Council appeal is filed, or three days after the Council decides an appeal. 110. 150.
Violations & Fines
Leaving an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle on private or public property (excluding highways) for more than three days violates SCCC § 10.10.140 and is enforceable as a criminal, civil, or administrative action under SCCC § 1.05.070, which the section expressly incorporates. Refusing to comply with a valid removal order after the notice-and-hearing process is a separate misdemeanor under SCCC § 10.10.150, and the City recovers its removal and administrative costs from the responsible party regardless of which enforcement track is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can an inoperative car legally sit in a Santa Clara driveway?
Does the City have to notify me before towing an abandoned vehicle from my property?
What happens if I refuse to remove a vehicle the City has ordered abated?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Santa Clara
California rules heatmap·Compare Santa Clara to another location·View the California parking rules overview
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Abandoned Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle abandoned vehicles.