San Bernardino County, CA Parking Rules: Abandoned Vehicles (2026)

The unincorporated County addresses junk and abandoned vehicles through its Vehicle Abatement and Removal Program, codified in County Code Title 3 (Health and Sanitation), Division 3 (Environmental Health), Chapter 12. This local ordinance is adopted under the authority of California Vehicle Code Section 22660, which lets a county 'adopt an ordinance establishing procedures for the abatement and removal, as public nuisances, of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles or parts thereof from private or public property.' County Code Section 33.1240 sets out the abatement procedures for vehicles that are a public nuisance. The accumulation of such vehicles is treated as a nuisance because it reduces property values, promotes blight, and creates fire and safety hazards. If an owner does not voluntarily abate the vehicle after notice, the enforcement authority or its contractor may remove it, and the costs of abatement and removal-plus administrative costs-may be assessed against the property owner or the vehicle's last registered/legal owner. County guidance notes that vehicles parked on a driveway must be operable and currently registered, and that vehicles generally may not be parked on unpaved dirt or lawn areas. A vehicle that has been abated may not be reconstructed or made operable again unless it qualifies for horseless-carriage or historical-vehicle plates. Reports of abandoned vehicles are handled by County Code Enforcement.