Reference Source

How long before a car left on your property or towed from it can legally be sold — by US state

State-by-state comparison of the legal timeline for a vehicle left on private property (or towed from it) to be classified abandoned, held, noticed, and eventually sold or junked. This is a genuinely different process shape per state, not just a different number of days on the same form: Colorado uses a flat 24-hour threshold for a vehicle to count as abandoned on private property, and a separate 48-hour window for the owner to reclaim it from an impound lot before it is treated as abandoned there too. Georgia uses a single flat 30-day unattended-on-property threshold, with no separate notice-and-sale sequence specified at the abandonment-classification stage. Texas runs a multi-step notice sequence instead of a single threshold: the vehicle must sit at least 24 hours before a first notice is sent (within 5 days if Texas-registered, 14 days if out-of-state), a second notice follows 15-20 days after the first, and the storage facility must then wait at least 30 days after the second notice before a public sale — a ~65-90 day process from tow to sale, compared to Colorado's 24-48 hour classification. Answers 'how long do I have to get my towed car back before it's sold', and 'how long does a car have to sit on my property before I can have it removed as abandoned'. Relevant to property owners, HOAs, landlords, and people whose car has been towed.

Records45
Sources45
Verified
Review by
Licenceunknown

The data

StateTime to count as abandoned on private propertyOwner notice processStatutory citationMinimum time before sale/disposal
Alabamanot less than 30 calendar daysnot less than 30 calendar days from the date the notice was sent to the owner and lienholder of recordSection 32-13-1
Alaskain excess of 24 hoursmay be removed under AS 28.11.030 and treated as an abandoned vehicleAS 28.11.020
Arizonaseventy-two hours on public or private propertynot specified at this stage28-4801
Californiaimmediate removal if signs are posted; 96 hours have elapsed since the issuance of that notice if a parking violation notice was issued(2) The vehicle has been issued a notice of parking violation, and 96 hours have elapsed since the issuance of that noticeVehicle Code § 22658
Colorado24 hours or longerC.R.S. 42-4-2101
Connecticuta period longer than twenty-four hoursSec. 14-150
Delawareinoperable, dismantled, wrecked, or which displays expired registration plates which are at least 30 days expired, or which displays no registration plates, or from which major components have been removed, is in such a state of disrepair as to be incapable of being operated in the manner for which it is designed and is situated on private property appearing to have been abandoned§ 4401
District of Columbiaon private property for more than 30 days§ 50–2431
Floridaimmediate removal if tow-away signs are posted per s. 715.07notice of lien sent by certified mail within 5 business days after storage; notice of sale at least 30 days before sales. 713.7835 days after the vehicle or vessel is stored by the lienor if the vehicle or vessel is an older model or 57 days after the vehicle or vessel is stored by the lienor if the vehicle or vessel is a newer model
Georgianot less than 30 days
Hawaiiany vehicle left unattended on private or public property without authorization of the owner or occupant of the property, may be towed awaylegal owner and last registered owner notified in writing by registered or certified mail within a reasonable period not to exceed fifteen days following the towHRS § 290-11thirty days after the mailing of the notice
Idahoany person having possession or control of real property, including commercial property, who finds an unauthorized vehicle standing on his property is permitted to have the vehicle removed or booted if there is posted on or near the property in a clearly conspicuous location, in large print, a sign or notice that unauthorized vehicles will be removed or bootedapply to the department for a title or junk certificate after thirty (30) days from the date of first notificationIdaho Code § 49-1806thirty (30) days from the date of first notification
Illinoisafter a waiting period of 7 days or morelaw enforcement agency having jurisdiction authorizes removal625 ILCS 5/4-201
Indianaseventy-two (72) hours, for any other vehicleofficer attaches a notice tag; vehicle will be removed after seventy-two (72) hours for any other vehicleIC 9-22-1-11
Iowamore than twenty-four hours321.89
Kansasthe provisions of subsection (a) requiring that a motor vehicle be abandoned for a period of time in excess of 48 hours prior to its removal shall not be applicable to abandoned vehicles that are subject to the provisions of this subsection
Kentucky376.275forty-five (45) days
Louisianaa motor vehicle that has remained on private property without the consent of the owner or person in control of the property for more than three daysnot specified at this stage32:471not specified at this stage
Maine14 days after the notices to the owner and lienholder are sent by the Secretary of State or 14 days after the advertisement is published§185214 days
Marylandmore than 48 hours without the consent of the owner or person in control of the property25–201
Massachusettsmore than seventy-two hours upon a public or private way therein or on any property therein without the permission of the owner or lessee of said propertySection 22C
MichiganA vehicle that has remained on private property without the consent of the owner.257.252a
Minnesotasingle-family or duplex residential property, immediately; (ii) that is private, nonresidential property, properly posted, immediately; (iii) that is private, nonresidential property, not posted, 24 hours168B.04
Mississippilawfully towed onto the property of another at the written request of a law enforcement officer and left there for a period of not less than forty (40) days without any one having made claim theretonot specified at this stage63-23-3not specified at this stage
Missourileft unattended for more than forty-eight hours304.157
Montana5 days or more on a city street, public property, or private propertynot specified at this stage61-12-401not specified at this stage
Nebraskamore than seven days on private property if left initially without permission of the owner, or after permission of the owner is terminatedNeb. Rev. Stat. § 60-1901
Nevadathe person who removed the vehicle must notify the registered owner and any person having a security interest in the vehicle by registered or certified mail that the vehicle has been removed and will be junked or dismantled or otherwise disposed of unless the registered owner or the person having a security interest in the vehicle responds and pays the costs of removal.NRS 487.25015 days after notification
New Hampshiremore than 24 hours without the appropriate permission being given10 days' notice to redeem itRSA 262:40-c
New JerseyN.J.S.A. 39:4-56.690 days after such removal
New Mexicoleft unattended on either public or private property for at least 30 daysNMSA 1978 (NM MVD Vehicle Procedures Manual, Chapter 1)
New Yorkmore than ninety-six hours on property of another if left without permission of the ownerSuch local authority shall notify the last owner, if known, that the vehicle in question has been recovered as an abandoned vehicle and that, if unclaimed, it will be sold at public auction or by bid after ten days from the date such notice was given.N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 1224ten days from the date such notice was given
North Carolinamore than 10 days without the consent of the owner or person in control of the propertyG.S. § 20-137.7
Ohioat least four hours without the permission of the person having the right to the possession of the propertyOhio Rev. Code § 4513.60thirty days
OregonORS 819.100, ORS 819.210not reclaimed within 30 days after it is taken into custody
Pennsylvaniamore than 24 hoursPrior to removal or processing of the vehicle, that person shall file a report, on a multipart form prescribed by the department, with the local police department declaring that an unauthorized vehicle has been left unattended and on private property for at least 24 hours.75 Pa.C.S. § 7311.1
Rhode Islandmore than three (3) daysR.I. Gen. Laws § 31-42-1
South Carolinamore than seven daysS.C. Code Ann. § 56-5-5810
Tennesseemore than forty-eight (48) hoursTenn. Code Ann. § 55-16-103
TexasThe storage company must notify you twice that your car is in storage. A vehicle must be on the lot for at least 24 hours before the first notice is sent. If the vehicle is registered in Texas, the notice must be sent no later than the 5th day it is on the lot. If the vehicle is registered in another state, the notice must be sent no later than the 14th day the vehicle is on the lot. The second notification must be sent between the 15th day and the 20th day after the date the first notice was mailed or published.31 days of the storage company sending you a 2nd written notice
Utahin excess of seven daysUtah Code § 41-6a-1408
Virginiamore than 48 hours on private property without the consent of the property's ownerVa. Code Ann. § 46.2-1200
Washington24 hours (for private, nonresidential property, not posted)RCW 46.55.010
Wisconsinmore than 48 hours in cities of the 1st class and, in other cities, villages and towns, a period set by the governing body thereof342.40
Wyomingmore than thirty (30) days without the oral or written consent of the owner or the person in lawful possession or control of the property31-13-101

Where this came from

Every record above links the page it was taken from and quotes the sentence that states it. These are the 45 sources this dataset was assembled from.

Machine-readable

45 records. last verified against source . due for re-check by .

Licence. unknown