Ventura, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing sections
- Municipal Code §§ 8.10.310-8.10.380
- Time limit
- 5 days before a vehicle is a nuisance
- Enforcing officials
- Building official and chief of police
- Notice required
- 10-day mailed notice before removal
- Hearing deadline
- Owner must request within 15 days
- Repeat violator penalty
- Treble abatement costs on 2nd judgment
Summary
Leaving a wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicle on private or public property (not counting highways) in the City of Ventura for more than five days is a public nuisance under Municipal Code Section 8.10.380, enforceable by the building official or police chief under the abatement procedure in Article 3 of Chapter 8.10.
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. ... A. ... Unlawful to Abandon. No person shall abandon, park, store, or leave or permit the abandonment, parking, storing or leaving of any licensed or unlicensed vehicle or part 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 five days unless such vehicle or part thereof is completely enclosed within a building in a lawful manner where it is not plainly visible from the street or other public or private property, 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 junkyard.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 2026-008, passed May 12, 2026).
Full Breakdown
310 makes their presence a public nuisance the city can abate. 380 sets the trigger: no such vehicle can sit for more than five days unless it is completely enclosed in a building and not visible from the street, or is stored lawfully in connection with a licensed dismantler's, vehicle dealer's, or junkyard's business. The building official and chief of police administer the article and, under Vehicle Code Section 22663, may enter property to inspect or remove a vehicle. 350 requires at least 10 days' notice by registered or certified mail to the land owner and the vehicle's last registered owner, and either owner can request a hearing within 15 days; if a property owner denies responsibility in writing, that statement itself is treated as a hearing request. 6 within 90 days.
Violations & Fines
The city can assess the administrative and removal costs against the property as a lien under the general nuisance-abatement procedures in Section 8.10.4110, recorded with the Ventura County recorder, and collectible as a special assessment on the property tax bill. A second or later civil or criminal judgment against the same owner within two years can bring an order for treble abatement costs under Section 8.10.4120, and violating the abatement order itself is separately punishable under the code's general misdemeanor penalty in Section 1.150.020.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long can an inoperative car sit in my Ventura yard?
Who enforces Ventura's abandoned vehicle rules?
Do I get notice before the city removes my vehicle?
Can I be charged extra for leaving a vehicle after a prior violation?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Ventura
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Abandoned Vehicles in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Ventura County handle abandoned vehicles.