Wayne County, NC Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 30 Article IV separates three overlapping categories of problem vehicles, each with its own definition and removal trigger. S. 153A-132, is one left on a public street in violation of parking rules, on public grounds for more than seven days, on county-owned property for more than 24 hours, or on private property without the owner's or occupant's consent for more than two hours. Section 30-183(a) makes it unlawful for the registered owner to cause or allow that to happen, and under § 30-183(b) the county enforcement officer can order the vehicle removed once two written complaints have been received and investigated.

Section 30-181 splits enforcement duties: the sheriff handles abandoned vehicles on public streets, highways and county-owned property, while the county enforcement officer, appointed by the county manager, handles abandoned, nuisance or junked vehicles on private property, subdivision lots and mobile home parks, and the county may contract with private tow operators to remove and store them. A closely related but separate category, the "nuisance vehicle" defined in § 30-182 as one harboring pests, standing water, weeds over eight inches, or leaking gasoline or oil, is unlawful to leave in place once declared a nuisance under § 30-184, following the same two-complaint investigation and removal-order process.