Sunnyvale, CA Property Maintenance: Property Blight (2026)
Key Facts
- Local authority
- Vehicle Code § 22660, implemented by SMC Ch. 9.24
- Storage limit
- 72 consecutive hours outside enclosed/licensed exceptions
- Notice
- 10 days' mailed notice to landowner and vehicle owner
- Appeal window
- 5 days to appeal removal order to city council
- Cost recovery
- Unpaid costs become special assessment on tax roll
Summary
Sunnyvale treats abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles left on private or public property as a declared public nuisance under Municipal Code Chapter 9.24, adopted under the authority of California Vehicle Code Section 22660. The city council specifically found the condition promotes "blight and deterioration," and the city can order removal after notice and a hearing.
In addition to and in accordance with the determination made and the authority granted by the state of California under Section 22660 of the Vehicle Code to remove abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicles or parts thereof as public nuisances, the city council finds and determines that the accumulation and storage of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, or inoperative vehicles or parts thereof on private or public property not including highways creates a condition tending to reduce the value of private property, to promote blight and deterioration, to invite plundering, to create fire hazards, to constitute an attractive nuisance creating a hazard to the health and safety of minor, to create a harborage for rodents and insects and to be injurious to the health, safety and general welfare. ... The presence of an abandoned, wrecked, dismantled or inoperative vehicle or parts thereof, on private or public property not 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 chapter.
Full Breakdown
24 implements Vehicle Code Section 22660 locally. 020 declares the presence of such a vehicle a public nuisance. 030 defines "vehicle" as any device that moves a person or property on a highway other than by human power, and defines "public property" to include land owned by the city, state, county, or other public agencies. 040 excludes vehicles completely enclosed in a building and not visible from the street, and vehicles lawfully stored on a licensed dismantler's, dealer's or junkyard's property. 060), who may enter property to inspect a vehicle.
110 before the chief or a designated commander. 130 lets anyone aggrieved by the hearing officer's removal order appeal to the city council within five days by filing written grounds with the city clerk. 170 lets unpaid removal and administrative costs be assessed against the parcel and transmitted to the Santa Clara County tax collector for collection with the same priority as other city taxes.
Violations & Fines
Storing an inoperative, wrecked or dismantled vehicle outside for more than seventy-two consecutive hours violates Section 9.24.180(b) unless it qualifies for the enclosed-building or licensed-dismantler exception. After a hearing officer orders removal, Section 9.24.150 gives the city five days to tow the vehicle to a scrapyard or dismantler, or fifteen days if the owner appealed to the council. Unpaid administrative and removal costs become a special assessment collected on the county tax roll.
Frequently Asked Questions
What CA Vehicle Code authority does Sunnyvale rely on for vehicle blight abatement?
Is there an exception for vehicles stored out of sight?
Can I appeal an order to remove a vehicle?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Sunnyvale
California rules heatmap·Compare Sunnyvale to another location·View the California property maintenance overview
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Property Blight in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Santa Clara County handle property blight.