Waynesville, MO Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 210 of the Waynesville Municipal Code treats an abandoned vehicle as a misdemeanor nuisance the city can tow and sell. Section 210.090 applies to any vehicle "whether or not the same is presently in operating condition" left on a street, public place, or property the City of Waynesville owns or leases; the forty-eight-hour clock starts the moment the vehicle is left standing there, whether it runs or not. Once that window passes, the Police Department is authorized and directed to remove the vehicle to a public place or to a private garage the Chief of Police selects.

The Chief then has between thirty and ninety days from the removal date to post notices in at least five places within the city limits describing the vehicle and announcing when and where it will be sold at public auction to the highest bidder for cash, with the auction date set at least ten days after the notices go up. If no one bids, the Chief of Police may instead sell the vehicle at a private sale, securing the best price obtainable. Sale proceeds first cover the towing, storage, and sale expenses, and the remainder goes into the city treasury as general revenue.

An owner who shows up before the sale with satisfactory proof of ownership can redeem the vehicle by paying those removal and storage costs, and an owner who proves ownership within six months after a completed sale is entitled to a refund of the proceeds the City actually banked. The section, adopted by Ordinance No. 248, does not distinguish between running cars and wrecks: any vehicle left in the same public spot past two days is subject to the same tow-and-sell procedure, which the Waynesville Police Department administers rather than a separate code enforcement office.