Wilmington, DE Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

City Code § 37-123 holds the definition that decides whether a vehicle in Wilmington counts as abandoned. Paragraph (a)(6)a is the private property branch, and it lists the conditions that qualify. The vehicle is inoperable, dismantled or wrecked, or it displays registration plates that are at least 30 days expired, or it displays no registration plates, or major components have been removed from it. The same sentence describes the vehicle as being "in such a state of disrepair as to be incapable of being operated in the manner for which it is designed."

Location completes the test. Under this paragraph the vehicle must be "situated on private property appearing to have been abandoned." The wording turns on how the vehicle appears where it sits. The plate condition has a cushion built in: plates count only once they are at least 30 days expired, while a vehicle showing no plates at all meets the condition immediately.

Paragraph a ends with the word "or," so it is not the only test in § 37-123. For streets and city property, a vehicle in the same condition becomes an abandoned vehicle once it has been there more than 12 hours.

What happens next depends on where the vehicle is, and § 37-126 sets the procedure. On public property, police tag the vehicle for pickup. On private property, police must first mail the owner a notice by certified mail and allow 10 days for the owner to remove it. If the vehicle is still there, it receives a 24-hour tag and is then towed to an official pound. The Wilmington Police Department is the enforcer in both settings.