Department of Permits & Inspections
Inoperative Motor Vehicles

(aka JUNK CARS/DEAD CARS)

Inoperative, disassembled, unlicensed or un-inspected vehicles are violations of the City of Portsmouth Code Section 23-46.

Inoperative vehicles may be tagged with a bright green/yellow sticker when possible to alert the owner and a notice is sent to the property owner advising them that they have ten (10) days to bring the vehicle into compliance. If the vehicle remains in violation on the property, a request will be sent to a private wrecker service and the vehicle will be towed to the city compound. Retrieval of the vehicle will require payment of the $45.00 towing fee, an administrative fee of $100.00 and any storage costs incurred at a rate of $10.00 a day. If the vehicle is not claimed it will be sold at public auction. An additional fee, the public auction fee, of $50.00 will be added to the charges. If the vehicle is sold for a price less than all of the outstanding charges, the remaining fees will be placed as a lien against the property from which it was towed.