Worcester County, MD Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

Section PH 1-104 defines a junk vehicle or vessel as a vehicle without a current license plate, or a vessel without a valid certificate of number or valid use sticker, that is in a rusted, wrecked, discharged, dismantled, partly dismantled, inoperative or abandoned condition. It is classed as restorable if repairs could put it in operating condition without exceeding its estimated value when repaired, or as a wreck if restoring it is economically unsound. A major assembly component is the body, frame, engine assembly, transmission or rear axle assembly, and the owner of record of a parcel is deemed to possess anything found on it.

The section does not apply in incorporated areas; at a legally maintained dealership, junkyard or repair facility in a properly zoned area; to a vehicle kept inside a completely enclosed structure or completely screened from view from adjacent property or roads by a fence or other enclosure; to not more than two restorable junk vehicles or vessels in the rear yard of any lot in any zone; or to a vehicle covered by a permit. The County Commissioners can grant a permit for up to one year to an owner or occupant for good cause such as sale, repair or restoration. A permit cannot be extended or renewed, only one can be issued per property at a time, and no more than five can be issued for one property in a calendar year. The cost is set by resolution.

Enforcement runs in steps. The department gives twenty days written notice to the owner of record, copies the last known registered owner, and posts the notice on the vehicle. If the owner does not comply, the Commissioners can tow it to an open storage area where it stays at least twenty days, and the department publishes at least one newspaper notice with the make, year, model, serial number and color. The registered owner can reclaim it by proving ownership, showing it will be licensed or repaired, and paying towing, notice and storage costs. If it is not reclaimed, it is conclusively presumed abandoned and can be sold, given away or otherwise disposed of. Neither the County nor the towing facilities are liable for damage or theft during towing or storage.