Stratford, CT Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 202 of the Stratford Code covers abandoned vehicles on public and private ground. Under § 202-1(B), a person who abandons a motor vehicle, whether registered or unregistered, on streets within the limits of the Town, on Town property, or on private property owned by someone other than the vehicle's owner (or a person in the towing business) without the property owner's consent, for a period longer than 24 hours, is subject to a $150 fine. The last owner of record shown in the Department of Motor Vehicles files is deemed to have been the owner at the time and the person who abandoned or procured the abandonment.

The process starts with a sticker. Under § 202-1(C), any Stratford police officer who finds an apparently abandoned or improperly registered vehicle affixes a notification sticker in a readily visible way. The sticker states the date and time, warns that if the vehicle is not removed within 24 hours it will be taken into custody and stored at the owner's expense, gives a location and telephone number for information, and names the affixing officer. If the vehicle is still there after 24 hours, the Stratford Police Department tows it to a place designated by the Chief of Police.

A separate power covers dangerous placement. Under § 202-1(A), a police officer who finds a motor vehicle that is a menace to traffic or public health or safety, whether or not on a highway, is authorized to take it into custody immediately and have it stored. For disposition, the Police Department follows Connecticut General Statutes Section 14-150(d) through (j) (§ 202-1(D)).

Costs follow the owner. Under § 202-3, disposal costs are levied against the owner in addition to the fine, and costs or fines unpaid more than 30 days after the due date become a lien on the owner's motor vehicle. Towing businesses that violate the section pay $100 for each violation (§ 202-2). Parking rules add limits: a registered inoperable vehicle on Town streets or property for more than 24 hours is a $50 Group II violation under § 203-8.