Whitfield County, GA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section 3-10-4 of the Unified Zoning Ordinance, part of the health, safety, and aesthetics standards in Article III, states that no junk vehicle shall be allowed to remain upon any lot or parcel that is not operating as a conforming junk yard. The ordinance's Article II definition of 'junk vehicles' covers any automobile, vehicle, or part of one that is inoperative because it has been wrecked, dismantled, partially dismantled, abandoned, or discarded, and that lacks a valid license plate and current-year tag. A vehicle counts as inoperative if it cannot move under its own power.

The definition carves out one exception: it does not apply to a vehicle stored inside a carport, shed, or other accessory structure, so a non-running car kept out of sight in a garage or shed is not a code violation on that basis alone. The ordinance also builds in an affirmative defense for vehicles genuinely being restored: if the owner produces current, paid receipts for parts confirming the vehicle is actively being worked on, that defeats a junk-vehicle citation. This standard sits alongside the county's separate junk yard use regulations in Sec.

4-6-14, which require any lawful junk or salvage yard to sit at least 25 feet from any adjacent boundary or right-of-way and be screened by an eight-foot sight-impermeable fence or berm.