Abandoned vehicles

Vehicles can include cars, motorcycles, trucks, trailers and caravans. Abandoned vehicles are unsightly and can be unsafe.

An unregistered vehicle permit does not allow an unregistered vehicle to park on a roadway.

A vehicle may be considered abandoned if:

• the registration is listed as expired or cancelled on the VicRoads website
• the vehicle has no number plates, or the vehicle is registered but has not moved for at least two months
• the vehicle is damaged and cannot move under its own power.

You can check on the VicRoads website to see an abandoned vehicle’s registration has expired or been cancelled.

You will need to provide the vehicle’s registration number as shown on the number plates.

Note: an expired registration label on a car no longer means that the vehicle is unregistered. Since 1 January 2014, VicRoads no longer issues registration labels or requires them to be placed on the windscreen of vehicles registered in Victoria.

Only report a vehicle to us if:

• the registration is listed as expired or cancelled on the VicRoads website
• the vehicle has no number plates 
• the vehicle is registered but has not moved for at least two months
• the vehicle is damaged and appears unable to move under its own power.

Report an abandoned or unregistered vehicle to us

You can report a vehicle through our website or contact us on 03 9217 2170.

Make a report

On receiving a report, one of our Authorised Officers will inspect the vehicle.

• If the vehicle is found to be unregistered, we may place a Council sticker on the vehicle instructing the owner or driver to remove it immediately.
• If the vehicle is found to be registered, we will continue to monitor the vehicle for a period of two months from the date of first inspection by an officer. If the vehicle is found to have not moved within this two-month period, we may place a sticker on the vehicle instructing the owner or driver to remove it immediately.
• If the owner or driver does not remove the vehicle immediately once instructed, we may impound the vehicle.

Please note: a sticker may not be placed on a vehicle in every instance as this is not a legal requirement.

If we place a Notice to Remove Vehicle sticker on your vehicle, it means that we legally deem your vehicle to be unregistered, derelict, or abandoned.

If your vehicle has been issued with a Notice to Remove Vehicle sticker or you have been instructed to do so by one of our Authorised Officers, you must take one of the following steps immediately.

1. Move the vehicle to private property where it is not visible from the roadway.

• It's not necessary for a vehicle stored on private property, where it is not visible from the roadway, to be registered.
• A VicRoads Unregistered Vehicle Permit allows an unregistered vehicle to move between private properties during daylight hours. It does not, however, allow a vehicle to be parked on a roadway.

2. Register the vehicle with the VicRoads if it is unregistered.

A vehicle with cancelled or expired registration cannot park on a road or in a public carpark.

If one of these two steps is not taken, we will arrange to impound the vehicle.

Payment of fees

If we have impounded your vehicle, you can arrange payment of the fees and delivery of the vehicle back to a private property.

To make arrangements, contact us by email on info@whittlesea.vic.gov.au or call us on 03 9217 2170.

Surrendering the vehicle

You may wish to surrender the vehicle to us. In this instance, the towing and impound fees will be waived.

To do this, you will need to email us on info@whittlesea.vic.gov.au advising that you wish to surrender the vehicle.

Non-payment of fees

Where the reclaim fees have not been paid within 14 days of a vehicle being impounded, we will dispose of the vehicle as is it is our legal right to do so.