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

For Massachusetts, time to count as abandoned on private property is more 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 property; statutory citation is Section 22C, verified against its source on 2026-08-18.

- **State:** Massachusetts _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Time to count as abandoned on private property:** more 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 property _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statutory citation:** Section 22C _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> Section 22C: Abandoned motor vehicles; removal and disposal Section 22C. If the superintendent of streets or other officer having charge of the public ways in a city or town reasonably deems that any motor vehicle apparently abandoned by its owner and standing for more 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 property or if a captain or lieutenant of the state police reasonably deems that any motor vehicle apparently abandoned by its owner and standing for more than seventy-two hours upon any pr

## Source

- https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXIV/Chapter90/Section22C

Last verified: 2026-08-18. Review by: 2027-08-18.
Part of [How long before a car left on your property or towed from it can legally be sold — by US state](https://referencesource.org/abandoned-vehicle-private-property-timelines-by-state/).