Winston-Salem, NC Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

(a) A city may by ordinance prohibit the abandonment of motor vehicles on the public streets or on public or private property within the city, and may enforce any such ordinance by removing and disposing of junked or abandoned motor vehicles according to the procedures prescribed in this section. (b) A motor vehicle is defined to include all machines designed or intended to travel over land or water by self-propulsion or while attached to any self-propelled vehicle. (b1) An abandoned motor vehicle is one that: (1) Has been left upon a street or highway in violation of a law or ordinance prohibiting parking; or (2) Is left on property owned or operated by the city for longer than 24 hours; or (3) Is left on private property without the consent of the owner, occupant, or lessee thereof for longer than two hours; or (4) Is left on any public street or highway for longer than seven days or is determined by law enforcement to be a hazard to the motoring public. (b2) A junked motor vehicle is an abandoned motor vehicle that also: (1) Is partially dismantled or wrecked; or (2) Cannot be self-propelled or moved in the manner in which it was originally intended to move; or (3) Is more than five years old and worth less than one hundred dollars ($100.00) or is more than five years old and worth less than five hundred dollars ($500.00) as provided by the municipality in an ordinance adopted under this section [...] (4) Does not display a current license plate.