Iowa Code sections 321.89 through 321.91 set the statewide framework for declaring, removing, and disposing of abandoned vehicles. Cities and counties enforce the law but cannot redefine the 24-hour or 10-day thresholds that trigger police custody.
A vehicle becomes abandoned under Iowa Code 321.89 if it sits on public property more than 24 hours without current plates or with fewer than two wheels, remains illegally on public property over 24 hours, sits unauthorized on private property over 24 hours, or is impounded and unclaimed for 10 days. Police authorities must take public-property abandoned vehicles into custody and may take private-property ones in. Iowa Code 321.90 governs disposal through a demolisher, and 321.91 caps liability while making vehicle abandonment a simple misdemeanor with a scheduled $260 fine.
Abandoning a vehicle is a simple misdemeanor with a $260 scheduled fine, plus owner liability for towing, storage, and disposal costs charged by the police authority or garagekeeper.
See how West Des Moines's abandoned vehicles rules stack up against other locations.
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