Brockton, MA Parking Rules: Snow Removal Parking Rules (2026)

Sec. 20-13 lets the superintendent of streets, in order to remove or plow ice or snow from any way, direct the chief of police to remove any vehicle interfering with that work. The chief of police must keep records of the registration number of every vehicle towed and the place it was taken, and within 48 hours of the removal must mail notice to the registered owner at the address on file with the registry of motor vehicles. If the owner is unknown or not on record with the registry, the superintendent of streets must instead publish notice, within 48 hours of the removal, in a newspaper of general circulation in the city, giving the registration number, vehicle type, and place of removal.

Before an owner or agent can reclaim a towed vehicle from the public garage or storage location, the section requires two things: proof of identity and ownership or right to possession, satisfactory to the garage operator or the superintendent of streets, and payment of the reasonable prevailing cost of towing the vehicle plus all storage charges at the reasonable prevailing rate, along with the cost of any required published or mailed notices. This section works alongside the separate sidewalk snow duty in Sec. 20-14 and the school-route plowing priority in Sec. 20-15, giving the city a mechanism to clear vehicles that block plows on the traveled way itself rather than the sidewalk.