Report an unmanaged vehicle
Find out how to report an unmanaged car, truck, motorbike, caravan, trailer or other vehicle in Brisbane.
What is an unmanaged vehicle?
Council can only investigate vehicles that meet the unmanaged vehicle criteria.
An unmanaged vehicle is any vehicle left on a road or road-related area, such as a footpath, dividing strip or bike path, or in a park. It is considered unmanaged if it’s any of the following:
- left in a hazardous condition or location
- unsightly or dilapidated
- not registered
- abandoned.
Before you report
You can find important information on the illegally parked and unmanaged vehicles page, including:
- definitions of unmanaged vehicle criteria
- how to check if a vehicle is registered.
Provide details about your concern including whether the vehicle is unregistered, abandoned or unsightly / dilapidated.
You must provide information about the vehicle including:
- type, make, model and colour
- registration plates and Vehicle Identification Number (if the vehicle has no identification, let us know)
- the date it was left
- up to 5 photos (if you're unable to provide photos, let us know).
If the vehicle has registration plates or a Vehicle Identification Number you can check registration status.
If the vehicle has Queensland registration plates, use the Queensland Government's free vehicle registration search.
If the vehicle has interstate registration plates, use the free vehicle registration search for the relevant state. Refer to what is a registered vehicle and can I check registration status?
If the search results show either of the following, you can submit an unmanaged vehicle report.
- The vehicle is not registered.
- The vehicle is registered and is hazardous, abandoned, unsightly or dilapidated.
If you cannot conduct a search because the vehicle has no identification you can submit an unmanaged vehicle report.
You must provide location details including:
- street number and name
- suburb
- postcode.
You must provide your contact details including:
- name
- phone number
- email address.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, it is important to report an unmanaged vehicle to Council.
Vehicles that are abandoned, unregistered, unsightly or creating a hazard are a risk to community safety and amenity.
To report an unmanaged vehicle to Council, complete the online form.
After you report an unmanaged vehicle, you'll receive a reference number.
Council will then assess your request, confirm the urgency, and gather any additional information if required. We may also contact the last known registered owner to request that they register or move the vehicle.
We'll then:
- Inspect the vehicle to collect evidence, mitigate any immediate community safety concerns, or sticker the vehicle.
- Determine enforcement action. This can include issuing a fine to the owner or last known registered owner, or removing (towing) and impounding the vehicle.
It's important that we thoroughly investigate each unmanaged vehicle report. It may take several weeks after you report a vehicle for Council to start incident response.
A car is considered abandoned if it is registered, and:
- has been left for more than 24 hours in a parking bay (e.g metered spaces) where the time for a vehicle to remain parked is limited
- is parked for more than 7 days in a parking bay where the time a vehicle may remain parked is not limited (e.g. a line marked bay with no limit).
Council may also consider a vehicle as abandoned where it meets all of the following criteria:
- has been left parked for 14 days
- has no licence plates/VIN visible
- ownership cannot be identified.
Council cannot take action on registered vehicles that are legally parked. If a car is registered and is following road rules (such as parking signs and time limits), it is allowed to park there.
Council can only take action on registered vehicles if they are parked illegally or hazardous, abandoned, or unsightly / dilapidated.