Waterbury, CT Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 90, the 'Abandoned, Wrecked, Dismantled or Inoperable Motor Vehicle Ordinance,' bans under § 90.03(A) parking, storing or leaving any abandoned motor vehicle, defined in § 90.02 as one not lawfully registered and damaged, dismantled, partially dismantled or inoperative, on any public or private property in the city for more than 72 hours; § 90.03(B) declares the presence of such a vehicle a public nuisance. A narrow exception in § 90.03(C) covers vehicles enclosed in a properly-zoned business building, drag-strip or raceway vehicles, and antique-restoration vehicles limited to one on the property at a time, with parts stored inside the vehicle or a structure, one additional parts vehicle for up to 30 days, and a tarpaulin cover whenever no work is underway.

When a violation is found, the Superintendent of Police must send certified mail to the owner and property owner or occupant, publish notice in a daily local newspaper, and post notice on the vehicle itself under § 90.04, giving 30 days to remove it. The recipient may request a hearing before a Hearing Officer appointed by the Mayor under Conn. Gen. Stat. § 14-150, held within seven days' notice per § 90.08. If the vehicle is not removed after the 30-day period or after an unfavorable hearing, the city may seize and remove it under § 90.09, and interfering with that removal is itself unlawful.

A vehicle worth $100 or less can be sold after 30 days in storage; one worth more than $100 must be held 90 days and sold at public auction, per § 90.10 and § 90.11.