Spotsylvania County, VA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Sec. 12-20 defines an "inoperable vehicle" as one not in operating condition, one partially or totally disassembled for sixty days or longer by removal of tires, wheels, the engine or other essential parts, or one lacking a valid state license plate or a valid state inspection decal; registered antique, classic or prestige vehicles that remain operable are excluded. The section allows shielding by three specific methods: a form-fitted, defect-free vehicle cover; a hedge or dense evergreen planting at least six feet high and ten feet wide; or an opaque masonry wall or treated wood fence at least six feet high and ten feet wide that also meets the setback restrictions of Sec.

1 of the zoning ordinance. Beyond the one-vehicle or two-vehicle allowance tied to lot size, an inoperative vehicle may also be kept without limit at a commercial business operating in compliance with its zoning or conditional use permit, at an automobile repair business for no more than sixty continuous days while under repair, or inside a fully enclosed building or structure. Licensed automobile dealers, salvage dealers and scrap processors already operating as of June 26, 1970 are exempt entirely. If a property owner does not remove a violating vehicle, Sec.

12-21 lets the county remove it after ten days' written notice, and dispose of it after another ten days' notice to the vehicle's owner or, if unknown, the property owner; removal costs become a lien against the property, collectible the same way as delinquent taxes. The zoning administrator and code enforcement officer are authorized under Sec. 12-20(7) to take whatever action is necessary to secure compliance.