Abandoned vehicles & goods

To report an abandoned vehicle, you will need to provide key information to help us investigate the vehicle appropriately. This may include:

• the vehicle’s registration number
• vehicle make, model and colour
• location of the vehicle
• supporting photos.

To determine if the vehicle is registered, you can do a free online registration search to identify the registration status.

If the vehicle is unregistered and you believe it has been abandoned, you can either:

• report the abandoned vehicle online
• call us on 07 5667 5991.

Report an abandoned vehicle

Note: An abandoned vehicle will only be towed immediately if it poses as a risk or danger to the public.

If you believe your vehicle has been stolen, please contact the Queensland Police Service immediately on 131 444.

If you believe your vehicle has been impounded by the City, check the impound list or call us on 07 5667 5991 to confirm.

Vehicle Impound List

If you have confirmed the City has impounded your vehicle and would like to reclaim it, you must meet the following requirements:

• Call us on 07 5667 5991 as soon as possible to discuss associated costs.
• Provide proof of ownership, right to possession or authority to act on behalf of the owner. For example: registration notice, bill of sale, statutory declaration, letter of authority.
• Provide proof of identity. For example: driver’s licence, passport.
• Complete a release application form
• Pay all associated costs for impounding and storage of the vehicle. Payments can be made any one of our customer service centres Monday to Friday between 8.15am and 4.30pm.

You must meet these requirements within one month of the vehicle being impounded. Impounded vehicles that remain unclaimed or surrendered after one month may be either sold via online auction or disposed of by the City.

Arrange collection

Once you have proof of payment, contact the Pimpama Vehicle Holding Yard on 07 5591 7134 to arrange a collection time.

Once you have confirmed the City has impounded the vehicle and you would like to surrender it, you must meet the following requirements:

• Call us on 07 5667 5991 to discuss.
• Provide proof of ownership, right to possession or authority to act on behalf of the owner. For example: registration notice, bill of sale, statutory declaration, letter of authority.
• Provide proof of identity. For example: driver’s licence, passport.
• Complete the Surrender Application form. Please note, if you are not the owner of the vehicle, ensure you have a letter of authority attached to the surrender form.
  Surrender application form

Email the completed application form and supporting documents to mail@goldcoast.qld.gov.au

If you no longer own the vehicle, you must meet the following requirements:

• Call us on 07 5667 5991 to discuss.
• Provide proof of ownership, right to possession or authority to act on behalf of the owner. For example: registration notice, bill of sale, statutory declaration, letter of authority.
• Provide proof of identity. For example: driver's licence, passport.
• Let us know in writing that you are no longer the owner of the vehicle.
  *If you are acting on behalf of the previous owner of the owner of the vehicle, ensure you attach a letter of authority.

Email your supporting documents to mail@goldcoast.qld.gov.au

Impounded vehicles that remain unclaimed or surrendered after one month of impoundment are either:

• sold via online auction
• disposed of by the City.

We will publish impounded vehicles approved for auction on the page via the following link.

Abandoned vehicle auction list

Once we receive your report, a City Officer will investigate.

The investigation may include:

• attending the location
• locating the owner
• leaving calling cards in the area
• applying a bright yellow decal to the vehicle.

If the registered owner of the vehicle fails to make contact with us or fails to relocate the vehicle to private property, we will then arrange to impound the vehicle.

This process can take up to 21 days.

In addition to cars, trucks, trailers, caravans and motorbikes, we may also investigate other abandoned items left on public land.

These may include:

• bicycles
• canoes
• boats
• skip bins
• shopping trolleys*

*Abandoned shopping trolleys

If you find an abandoned shopping trolley and you can see what shop the trolley came from, please contact the business directly.

• Woolworths, Big W, Dan Murphy's or Target shopping trolleys: phone Trolley Trackers on 1800 641 497 or email councilreport@trolleytracker.com.au.
• Coles or Kmart shopping trolleys: phone Coles Customer Relations on 1800 876 553 or email 1800trolley@colesgroup.com.au.
• Aldi, IGA, Bunnings or any other identifiable business, please contact the business direct.

If you find a shopping trolley on public land and it has no identifiable store markings, report it online.

We do not investigate or impound ride share/hire type items. These may include e-scooters, e-bicycles and helmets.

If you have an issue with any of these items, you can report it directly to the business.

If the City impounds your vehicle, there may be applicable fees payable to reclaim the vehicle. These consist of an administration fee and daily storage fees. To view these fees, see the 'Impounded vehicles and goods' section of the current Register of Fees and Charges.

All fees must be paid in full before the vehicle or item is released.