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

For New York, time to count as abandoned on private property is more than ninety-six hours on property of another if left without permission of the owner; owner notice process is Such 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; minimum time before sale/disposal is ten days from the date such notice was given; statutory citation is N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 1224, verified against its source on 2026-08-18.

- **State:** New York _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Time to count as abandoned on private property:** more than ninety-six hours on property of another if left without permission of the owner _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Owner notice process:** Such 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. _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Minimum time before sale/disposal:** ten days from the date such notice was given _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Statutory citation:** N.Y. Veh. & Traf. Law § 1224 _(verified: appears in the quote below)_

## What the source says

> for more than ninety-six hours on property of another if left without permission of the owner. 2. If an abandoned vehicle, at the time of abandonment, has no number plates affixed and is of a wholesale value, taking into consideration the condition of the vehicle, of two thousand two hundred fifty dollars or less, ownership shall immediately vest in the local authority having jurisdiction thereof and title to the vehicle shall vest in accordance with applicable law and regulations of the commissioner, provided however that a local authority shall not be required to obtain title to an abandoned vehicle that is subject to the provisions of this subdivision if the vehicle will be sold or otherwise disposed of as junk or salvage, dismantled for use other than as a motor vehicle, or otherwise destroyed. 3. (a) Except for vehicles governed by subdivision two, a local authority having custody of an abandoned vehicle shall make an inquiry concerning the last owner of such vehicle as follows: (i) abandoned vehicle with number plates affixed--to the jurisdiction which issued such number plates; (ii) abandoned vehicle with no number plates affixed--the department of motor vehicles. (b) Such 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.

## Source

- https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/VAT/1224

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/).