West Palm Beach, FL Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Chapter 34, Article IV of the West Palm Beach City Code targets vehicles "left exposed to the elements and whose owner cannot be located within reasonable inquiry" (abandoned) and vehicles "incapable of operation by its own power" (inoperative) that sit in view of the general public on private property, per § 34-101. Section 34-102 declares such a vehicle a public nuisance and places a duty on both the registered vehicle owner and the owner or lessee of the private property to remove it from public view.

The exemption in § 34-102(c) covers vehicles inside an enclosed structure or held by a licensed business that uses them in the ordinary course of business; a car cover alone does not count as enclosure. Under § 34-103, a code enforcement officer or police officer posts a written notice of violation on the vehicle and mails notice to the registered owner and the property owner or lessee, giving ten days to remove the vehicle or apply for a building permit to build an enclosure, unless the owner requests a hearing within five days under § 34-104.

If owners cannot be found after diligent search, § 34-106 lets the city post public notice on the city hall bulletin board for five consecutive days instead of mailing individual notice. Unresolved cases go before the code enforcement special magistrate under Chapter 26, where the burden of proof rests on the city.