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San Benito County, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Significant Restrictions
Compiled from the official code textEditor Martyn O'NeillLast verified September 2026

Key Facts

Grace period
30 days before violation
Penalty
Misdemeanor under § 17.01.033
Enforcement
Sheriff administers notice and removal
Scope
Unincorporated county only

Summary

In unincorporated San Benito County, storing an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on private or public property beyond 30 days is a misdemeanor nuisance the Sheriff can abate and remove.

These county ordinances apply to unincorporated areas of San Benito County. Incorporated cities within the county may have their own rules that take precedence over county-level regulations.

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. (1966 Code, § 9-9) (Ord. 277, § 1)

View official code

Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: 2025 S-28: current through Ordinance 1078).

Full Breakdown

County Code § 17.01.020 declares abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles stored on private or public property a public nuisance, citing blight, fire hazard, and rodent harborage. Section 17.01.033 makes it a misdemeanor to leave such a vehicle in place for more than 30 days unless it is fully enclosed in a building or parked lawfully as part of a licensed dismantler's business. The Sheriff administers abatement: a mailed notice, an optional Board of Supervisors hearing, then removal to a scrapyard, with costs billed to the landowner unless the vehicle was dumped without the owner's consent. This applies only in unincorporated San Benito County, not Hollister or San Juan Bautista.

Violations & Fines

Leaving an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle in place more than 30 days, or refusing to abate the nuisance once ordered, is a misdemeanor under § 17.01.033.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I keep a non-running car in my yard?
Only briefly: after 30 days it's a misdemeanor unless fully enclosed in a building or part of a licensed dismantler's business, per § 17.01.033.
Does this rule apply inside Hollister?
No. It governs unincorporated San Benito County only; Hollister and San Juan Bautista enforce their own municipal codes within city limits.

Sources & Official References

Other rules in San Benito County

All San Benito County rules

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