Due to the circumstances around COVID-19, the City’s Road Use Compliance Officers are focusing their efforts on life safety issues regarding parked vehicles. Officers will continue enforcement around inoperable vehicles and vehicles with expired registration that are in the City’s right-of-way. Requests submitted to the Customer Support Center for other violations regarding parked vehicles will be revisited when normal operating procedures return.

To submit a request contact the TacomaFIRST 311 Customer Support Center by
filling out an Abandoned Vehicle Reporting Form dialing 311 within Tacoma city limits or (253) 591-5000 from anywhere else or email csc@cityoftacoma.org.

The City of Tacoma is committed to working with the community to address abandoned vehicle and neighborhood parking issues. Illegally parked and abandoned vehicles can create safety concerns for both motorists and pedestrians.

Abandoned Vehicles

An abandoned vehicle is a vehicle that has been left on city right of way for an extended period and may have one or more of the following conditions.

• Has not moved for an extended period
• Is unused or inoperable
• Is in a state of disrepair
• Major components are missing
• Has expired or is missing license plates

 Tacoma Municipal Code Prohibits:

• Parking with expired tabs or no license 
• Repairing or disassembling vehicles on City streets 

Revised Code of Washington Prohibits:

• Parking on a sidewalk or planting strip
• Parking on or within 20 feet of a crosswalk
• Parking within five feet of a public or private driveway
• Parking within 15 feet of a fire hydrant
• Parking within 30 feet of a stop or yield sign

Commercial Vehicle Parking

Commercial vehicles are not allowed to be parked in residential neighborhoods unless they are being actively loaded or unloaded.

Vehicles on Private Property

Inoperable vehicles on private property are the responsibility of the property owner. The City can provide paperwork that allows the property owner to have the vehicle removed.

The City does not provide removal service, removal is done by private contractors at the choosing of the property owner.

If you would like to have a vehicle removed from your property and you do not have the title, complete the junk vehicle verification form. Once you have completed the form, contact us to set up a meeting time when an officer can inspect the vehicle and sign the paper work.

When Reporting Abandoned Vehicles, Please Provide the Following Information:

• Location
• Description of the vehicle
• License plate number, if available

An enforcement officer will respond to most requests the following day. If the officer finds a vehicle to be in violation appropriate enforcement, action will be taken.