What Does an Orange Violation Sticker on a Car Mean?

You might’ve seen orange violation stickers on car windows before. They’re typically seen on vehicles on the side of the road or on vehicles that have been impounded. These vehicles carry the sticker either on the windshield or rear window. But what do these strange stickers mean, and should you be concerned if you see one on your vehicle?

The Meaning of Orange Violation Stickers

If you see an orange violation sticker on a vehicle, it means local law enforcement has tagged it as “abandoned.” If the owner of the vehicle fails to remove the vehicle from its current location within a specified amount of time, then the vehicle will be impounded. If no owner is found and the vehicle remains unclaimed in the impound lot, the vehicle will likely eventually be put up for public auction.

What Constitutes an “Abandoned” Vehicle?

Typically, abandoned cars get an orange sticker if they’ve been left parked in a public area for a certain amount of time. Law enforcers tag these vehicles with orange stickers once they’ve surpassed the time appointed by city and state law. The amount of time differs from state to state and at times city to city. For instance, some Californian cities allot 72 hours to a vehicle parked in a public area before they’re tagged with an orange sticker. Meanwhile, the state of Colorado only allows vehicles to remain parked in public areas for 24 hours before the vehicle is stickered.

There are also instances when abandoned vehicles are tagged with the sticker even outside of public property. This usually applies to vehicles parked on private property without the property owner’s permission and vehicles held by repair shops when their owners fail to pay the repair bill. Again, the specific laws differ from state to state, so it’s best to check the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) website for your specific city and state for the exact time frames and stipulations in place.

What To Do If Your Vehicle Has an Orange Sticker

If your vehicle has been tagged by an orange violation sticker, what you do next depends on how long it’s been since the sticker was placed. Most states have a 10-day grace period before an abandoned vehicle is towed away. You’ll be notified that your vehicle’s been deemed “abandoned” and tagged with an orange violation sticker and will have the chance to move or repair it.

If your vehicle is too damaged to drive, you’ll need to hire a tow truck to bring it to a repair shop. However, if the grace period has already passed and your vehicle’s been taken to the impound lot, you might need to trace where it’s gone before you can move it.

Try contacting the local police via a non-emergency police hotline to find out where the vehicle was taken. After that, you’ll need to pay a fee at the impound lot. These fees can add up quickly since they might include the actual towing to the lot, the mileage rate, a release fee, a parking tax, and the fee for the first hour of storage. Certain states also require you to pay fines for abandoning your vehicle in the first place.

Now you know what an orange violation sticker on a car window means. It’s handy to keep these lesser-known vehicular laws and violation tags in mind, especially since you never know when they’ll come up. If you ever need to abandon your broken-down vehicle temporarily, you now know you need to return and have it moved as soon as possible to avoid any complications. Alternatively, you now know where to go to find your abandoned vehicle if it’s already been towed.