KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — The U.S. military’s largest overseas community may soon free up over 100 parking spaces, as Ramstein Air Base authorities begin towing abandoned vehicles, some of which sat idle for years.

Ramstein officials launched a “large-scale towing initiative” to remove abandoned cars in the Kaiserslautern Military Community on May 28, finally clearing the bureaucratic obstacles that had delayed the effort for nearly two years, according to a recent statement from the 86th Airlift Wing.     

“We’ve been trying a long time to get this done, making sure we meet all the rules, the regulations, the law and everything,” Michael Bolado, deputy chief of the 86th Force Support Squadron’s Community Services Flight, said in the June 6 statement. 

Getting rid of unwanted vehicles can be confusing for service members and officials alike.

While Ramstein is an Air Force installation, many vehicle registration and licensing functions in the patchwork military community in the Kaiserslautern area are administered through Army organizations, leaving responsibilities spread across multiple agencies.

Ramstein officials say they aim to have some 130 abandoned vehicles removed by mid-July. It’s not clear what has delayed towing over the past two years.

The 86th Airlift Wing did not respond to questions by publication time concerning delays, the planning process or the number of vehicles that have been towed since the initiative began.

Whatever the reason, the abandoned vehicles have become a familiar sight across the KMC, with some earning near-legendary status in local military social media groups.

Residents have swapped photos of favorite derelict cars, joked about their longevity and, in some cases, decorated them.

Perhaps the most famous was one christened the “cone car,” an abandoned vehicle near Kapaun Air Station that gradually accumulated well over a dozen orange traffic cones placed on and around it by passers-by.

When the vehicle was finally towed away in April, some residents jokingly mourned its loss online and erected a small shrine of cones in its honor.

Residents soon began placing cones on other abandoned vehicles, but at least some of the would-be successors were removed before they could achieve similar fame.

“This is a thing that’s existed for as long as I know; it just hadn’t been (acted on),” said Lee Lewis, acting emergency services director at U.S. Army Garrison Rheinland-Pfalz.

The garrison, which encompasses much of the KMC, has spent the past two years tackling its own abandoned-vehicle problem through a renewed effort to clean up streets and residential areas.

The push relied on enforcement of the long-standing Army in Europe and Africa Regulation 190-1, which governs vehicle requirements in Germany.

“We had to dust it off and get back to doing the process that already existed, so it was just a matter of having enough people and the initiative to do it,” Lewis said.

Military police officer Staff Sgt. Aaron Durham, the installation traffic noncommissioned officer in charge, said he has personally inspected about 800 suspected abandoned automobiles since May 2025, with roughly 10% ultimately deemed abandoned.

The garrison has reduced the number of vehicles in its area of responsibility awaiting towing to 13, but Durham said more vehicles could be abandoned at any time.

Removing abandoned cars from the community can be a lengthy and costly process. When a vehicle is presumed abandoned, military police begin a 45-day notification period by contacting the last known registered owner. 

If the vehicle remains unclaimed, it is reviewed by a quarterly board that determines whether it should be towed to one of the two garrison impound lots, which currently hold around 140 vehicles. 

Garrison officials estimate they will spend about $4,900 on vehicle towing across the installation in 2026. Under AEA Regulation 190-1, units can be held responsible for towing costs when personnel leave Germany without properly deregistering their vehicles.

“We’re putting things in place so the units have some ownership of that,” Lewis said. “Charging the unit comes out of their training funds, and that’s a big encouragement to do the right thing.” 

Personnel who abandon vehicles can face a range of negative consequences, including punishment under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, being barred from future vehicle registrations in Germany and sometimes even having difficulty registering a vehicle stateside, officials said.

In one recent case, a soldier who had moved to Alabama couldn’t register a new vehicle because the system had flagged a separate vehicle still registered in Germany, Durham said.

“I don’t know how the two systems speak, but he had to go through his unit (here) to assign an agent to go to vehicle registration to get it squashed,” he added.  

Those departing Germany have several options for disposing unwanted vehicles.  

Army Morale, Welfare and Recreation operates vehicle disposal sites at Pulaski Barracks, Smith Barracks in Baumholder and Building 3800 on Landstuhl. The service costs $30, though additional fees may apply for electric vehicles or towing.

The 86th Force Support Squadron runs a similar program at its automotive recycling center just outside the base on road L369.