Is it legal to leave your car running to warm up in NC? It depends on where you live
.jpg "Frost sparkles on a car -- but may be against the law to leave your car running unattended on cold mornings to warm it up. It depends on where you live in NC.")
As the weather cools down in North Carolina, leaving your car running to warm it up can make your morning commute more comfortable.
However, the practice can make your vehicle an attractive target for car thieves.
Charlotte has experienced a 125% increase in vehicle thefts from 2022 through the third quarter of 2023, officials said during the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s latest public safety briefing last month.
Vehicle thefts in Raleigh also rose by 46% in Raleigh through the third quarter of 2023, CBS17 reported.
Warming up your car could also be illegal, depending on where you are in the state.
Here’s what North Carolina law says about leaving your vehicle running.
Is it legal to leave your car running unattended in NC?
In North Carolina, cars cannot be left unattended on “public highways or public vehicular areas,” state law says, but there are no state laws against leaving your vehicle on private property.
However, the City of Charlotte has its own ordinance prohibiting the practice.
According to the ordinance, it’s against the law to leave a vehicle “unattended on any street, alley, other public property, new or used car lot, or on any private parking lot to which the general public is invited and at which there is no attendant” without turning off the engine and removing the keys from the ignition.
Those who leave their cars running could receive a citation, the ordinance says.
The law does not apply to vehicles used for public transportation, delivery and emergency vehicles, or vehicles owned by the city.
Leaving a vehicle unattended on someone else’s property for more than two hours without permission is illegal in North Carolina, and can result in law enforcement ordering it to be towed, according to state law. However, this law doesn’t distinguish between an idling car and a parked car.
This story was originally published November 13, 2023 at 7:20 AM with the headline "Is it legal to leave your car running to warm up in NC? It depends on where you live."
