Abandoned vehicles

Council has the power to remove any unregistered vehicle or vehicle that has been abandoned.

Definition

Council aims to clear the streets of vehicles that:

present a danger to residents or motorists
are unregistered
are unsafe
are deemed to be abandoned.

Procedure

When an abandoned vehicle is reported to Council, an officer will inspect the vehicle and determine if the vehicle is, in fact, abandoned.

If the officer suspects the vehicle is abandoned, a notice will be placed on the windscreen advising the owner to remove the vehicle within a specified timeframe. The officer will also complete a full investigation and report.

In order to ascertain the identity of the vehicle's last known owner, the registration details will be sent to VicRoads or the equivalent department in another state.

If the vehicle is deemed unregistered and/or abandoned and no contact has been made by the owner, an officer will conduct a second inspection. If the vehicle is still present it will be towed away. A letter will be sent to the owner advising the process and costs if they wish to collect their vehicle. If the vehicle is not collected within 28 days and no contact has been made with Council, the vehicle will be auctioned to the general public.

Under the Local Government Act 1989 Schedule 11 cl. 3 amended by Mo.33/1995 s. 11(c)(d), Council has the power to remove any unregistered vehicle or vehicle that has been deemed abandoned.