Fremont, CA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Governing section
- FMC 8.05.030
- Hearing officer
- Chief of police or designee
- Notice period
- 10-day mailed notice to owners
- Removal timing
- 5 days after order, 15 after appeal
- Unpaid cost remedy
- Special assessment lien on parcel
- Key exemption
- Enclosed vehicles or licensed dealer/dismantler lots
Summary
Fremont Municipal Code 8.05.030 makes it a public nuisance to keep an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle, or any part of one, on private or public property anywhere in the city, including highways. The police chief enforces the rule through a mailed abatement notice, an optional hearing, and removal to a scrapyard or dismantler, with costs recoverable through a lien on the parcel.
In addition to and in accordance with the determination made and the authority granted by the state of California under Cal. Veh. Code §§ 22600 through 22664 to remove abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles or parts thereof as public nuisances... the presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle or part thereof, on private or public property, including highways, except as expressly hereinafter permitted, is hereby declared to constitute a public nuisance which may be abated as such in accordance with the provisions of this section. ... This section shall not apply to: (1) A vehicle or part thereof which is completely enclosed within a building in a lawful manner where it is not visible from the street or other public or private property; or (2) A vehicle or part thereof which is stored or parked in a lawful manner on the private property in connection with the business of a licensed dismantler, licensed vehicle dealer, a junk dealer, or when such storage or parking is necessary to the operation of a lawfully conducted business or commercial enterprise.
Official source re-checked September 8, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: current through Ordinance 02-2026, passed May 5, 2026).
Full Breakdown
030, adopted under the authority of Cal. Veh. Code Sections 22600 through 22664, the presence of a wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle on any lot is a declared public nuisance unless it is completely enclosed in a building and not visible from the street, or it is lawfully stored on the property of a licensed dismantler, vehicle dealer or junk dealer, or storage is necessary to a lawfully conducted business. The chief of police, acting as hearing officer, mails a 10-day notice of intention to abate and remove by registered or certified mail to the last assessed property owner and the vehicle's registered and legal owner.
Either owner can request a hearing within that 10 days, or submit a sworn statement denying responsibility, which is treated as a hearing request that does not require an appearance. If no hearing is requested, the city may remove the vehicle without one. At a hearing, the hearing officer can delay removal, and if the landowner proves the vehicle was dumped without consent and never acquiesced to, the city cannot assess costs against that owner. 25. Five days after the abatement order (or 15 days after an appeal is decided), the vehicle may be towed to a scrapyard or dismantler's yard, and the department must notify the DMV and Department of Justice within five days of removal, transmitting any registration or title documents recovered.
Violations & Fines
The city does not need a criminal conviction to remove a vehicle; the police chief acts administratively under the 10-day notice and hearing process described above. If the administrative and removal costs charged against a landowner under Section 8.05.030 are not paid within 30 days of the order or the final appeal decision, FMC 8.05.040 makes those costs a special assessment and lien against the parcel, recorded by the chief of police with the Alameda County Recorder, continuing until the assessment is paid or discharged of record.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can Fremont remove a vehicle from my property without a hearing?
Is a business vehicle stored on a commercial lot exempt?
What happens if I don't pay the removal costs?
Can a reconstructed vehicle be put back on the road?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Fremont
California rules heatmap·Compare Fremont to another location·View the California property maintenance overview
See something wrong?
Help us keep this page accurate. If you notice an error or outdated information, let us know.
Property Blight in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Alameda County handle property blight.