Parked for ages is not abandoned
A car with plates, insured, in normal condition and not obstructing traffic can stay parked in the same place for a long time. It is annoying and takes a space, but it is not an abandoned vehicle.
Ministerial decree 460 of 1999 covers a vehicle found on an area in public use in a state suggesting abandonment: without its plate or identification mark, or missing parts essential for use or conservation.
What happens after the report
- The police (usually the Polizia Locale) record the vehicle’s state and missing parts
- They check it is not reported stolen
- They notify the owner, if identifiable
- They move it provisionally to an authorised collection centre
- Sixty days after notification, or after it was found if no owner can be traced, without a claim it counts as abandoned property and can be scrapped after deregistration from the PRA
What to put in the report
- The plate, if there is one; if not, say so explicitly: it is one of the decree’s criteria
- Make, model and colour
- Exact location, and whether it blocks a driveway, a disabled bay or a bus stop
- Since when it has been there, as precisely as you can
- Condition: flat tyres, broken windows, missing parts, rust, grass growing underneath
- Whether it leaks fluids, has been burnt out, or children get into it
If it is in a courtyard or private car park
The decree covers areas in public use. In a shared courtyard or private car park the first step falls to the building manager or the landowner, with a formal notice to the vehicle’s owner. It is still worth asking the Polizia Locale how your municipality handles it.
What not to do
- Do not move it, open it, or take parts or the plate: it belongs to someone until declared abandoned
- Do not mark it with paint or stickers
- Do not assume someone else already reported it: that is the commonest reason a car stays a year
Why a dated record helps
The weak point of nearly every report is «since when». On CleanSpot every report stays on a public map with photo, date and coordinates, and neighbours can confirm it: proof of how long the car has been there and in what state, which is exactly what is needed.
Sources
How long before a car counts as abandoned?
Time alone is not enough: DM 460/1999 looks at a missing plate or essential parts. Once removed, the vehicle is held for 60 days for the owner before it can be scrapped.
Who do I report it to?
The Polizia Locale of your municipality, with the plate, location and the vehicle’s condition.
It has plates and looks fine. Can I do anything?
Not as an abandoned vehicle, probably. If it blocks a driveway or a reserved bay, that is a parking offence and follows a different route.
What if it is burnt out or stripped?
Say so in the report: it leaks polluting fluids and can be dangerous, which usually speeds things up.