Waste Management Act 1996
It is an offence under Section 71 of the Waste Management Act 1996 as amended to abandon a vehicle on any land and both the person who placed the vehicle at the place where it was abandoned and the registered owner are liable to be prosecuted with fines of up to €5,000 and/or 12 months in prison.
Abandoned vehicles may be claimed by the registered owner under certain circumstances and conditions but shall be subject to payment of recovery and storage costs incurred by the local authority before the vehicle can be returned. It is important to note that the local authority has powers to dispose of vehicles under certain circumstances without notification to the registered owner.
Report an Abandoned Vehicle:
To report an abandoned vehicle please contact our customer service team and provide the following details by emailing customerservice@wexfordcoco.ie or phoning us on 053 919 6000.
• Vehicle Registration
• Colour / Make / Model
• Exact Location including Eircode
• Period of time that vehicle has not been moved*
• Name and Contact Number
• A photo of the vehicle tax disc if possible.
**The Council will arrange to set up a complaint reference and investigate the matter, should the complaint not fall under the below list of exemptions.**
The following are not considered to be abandoned:
Note: Vehicles must not have been moved for a minimum of 6 weeks.
➢ Vehicles on public roads which are causing obstruction or road safety hazard should be reported to the Gardai.
➢ While a vehicle with no tax or insurance may be an indicator that a vehicle’s abandoned, the issue of no tax or insurance on a vehicle on a public road does not automatically deem a vehicle abandoned. Having no tax or insurance on a public road is a matter for the Gardai.
➢ Broken down vehicles.
➢ Burnt out vehicles should be reported to the Gardai.
➢ Vehicles involved in residential parking disputes
➢ Any vehicles registered outside of the Republic of Ireland should be referred to the Gardai.
➢ Vehicle’s on private lands for example pay as you go car parks or private dwelling driveways are not a matter for the Council. * EXCEPTIONS *
If the vehicle is deemed to be abandoned the Council will then follow a procedure of issuing notifications to the registered owner. This may also include affixing a notice to the vehicle.
If the vehicle(s) listed below are not removed or collected from the Council by the owner(s) within the dates specified- under Section 71(7)(c) of the Waste Management Act, 1996, as Amended, the vehicle(s) will become the property of Wexford County Council and may subsequently be scrapped.
https://customerservice.wexfordcoco.ie/service/Environment_Abandoned_Vehicles