Abandoned and Impounded Vehicles

Abandoned vehicles

It’s an offence to abandon a vehicle on a road or in public place, or to park an unregistered vehicle on a road under Local Law No. 1 (Administration) 2015.

Abandoned vehicles are a potential risk to public health and safety. They’re often left in dangerous places and in a poor state.

We investigate all vehicles reported as abandoned. We try to find the owner or driver and ask them to remove the vehicle. If we can’t find the owner, we will put a notice on the vehicle confirming that it will be removed within a certain time.

If an abandoned vehicle is not removed, the owner may be fined and we will impound the vehicle.

If a vehicle is abandoned in a risky or dangerous place, we may remove it immediately.

To report an abandoned vehicle, please contact us.

Impounded vehicles

If we find the owner of an impounded vehicle, we will write to them and explain that we have impounded their vehicle.

If we cannot find the owner of an impounded vehicle, we will advertise the vehicle as impounded. If no one claims the vehicle, we will put it up for sale at a public auction.

Vehicles that have no value (e.g. burnt out, no engine, damaged, stripped of parts, dilapidated or rusted) may be disposed of without auction.

If you receive a letter telling you that your vehicle has been impounded, you must claim your vehicle within one month of the letter being sent. If you do not claim your vehicle, it may be sold at auction or disposed of.

To claim a vehicle, please download and fill in the Abandoned vehicle claim form [PDF, 105KB]

You must lodge your application at a Council Customer Service Centre and include:

payment of the release fee
satisfactory evidence that you own the vehicle, like:
- personal identification
- registration papers
- motor dealer documents
- a statutory declaration
an authority to act on behalf of the owner – if you are claiming the vehicle on behalf of someone else
Satisfactory evidence of the right to possession – if you are claiming a right to possession of the vehicle.

If a vehicle is not successfully claimed within one month of us sending an advice notice, the vehicle will be disposed of in line with Local Law No. 1 (Administration) 2015.

Release of impounded vehicles

A vehicle may be re-claimed by the owner within one month from the date of this notice upon;
1. Completion of an Application for the Release of Impounded Goods form; and
2. Payment of the prescribed release fee per vehicle (Cost of Contractor); and
3. Provision of sufficient evidence to satisfy Council of the person's right of ownership or possession of the vehicle; (e.g. personal identification, drivers licence, registration papers, motor dealer documents, a statutory declaration)
A person acting on behalf of the owner must satisfy Council of their right to possession and authority to act on behalf of the owner.
All applications for the release of impounded vehicles must be lodged at the Council Customer Service Centre. For more information, contact us.
If a successful claim is not made for the return of a vehicle within one month of the date of this notice then the property in the vehicle vests in the local government and the local government may dispose of the vehicle in accordance with section 41(10) of Redland City Council's Local Law No. 1 (Administration) 2015.

Note: For safety reasons, an owner seeking the release of an unregistered vehicle must arrange for a licensed tow truck (tray back) to transport the vehicle from Council's impounded vehicle holding yard.