Selling a dead or unlicensed car in Florence

What Section 22-116 covers

The duty falls on "any person in charge of, or in control of any real property," and the code lists who that is: "tenant, owner, occupant, lessee or otherwise." Renters and family members looking after a house count, not just the name on the deed.

The vehicle list is joined by "and/or," so one condition is enough. "Unlicensed" sits first. A working car with lapsed registration is covered just as clearly as one missing its engine.

The only shelter the section accepts is "an enclosed building or shelter." Carports, tarps and fences are not in the text. Licensed businesses are exempt "when the keeping of such vehicle is lawful and necessary to the operation of such licensed business," and so is any police storage lot.

Past the city line

The Florence rule reaches past the city line. Section 22-116 applies "within the city or its extraterritorial zoning jurisdiction," which means a nearby home with a county mailing address may still be covered. If you are not sure which side of that line you are on, ask the city before assuming you are outside it.

The zoning ordinance keeps commercial wrecking, dismantling and auto-salvage out of ordinary service and repair districts. A towing service with temporary storage of inoperable vehicles must be enclosed by a fence "at least seven (7) ft. in height and adequate to obstruct view." The city plainly expects dead cars to be out of sight.

Streets and the impound auction

On a public street, Section 13-202 lets an officer act on a vehicle believed "lost, stolen or abandoned," on one likely to become an obstruction, and on one that has stayed parked on a public street over 24 hours.

What happens next is set out in Section 13-204. Florence's chief of police, at least every six months, sells "at public auction to the highest bidder for cash" any vehicle "taken up and stored for a period of three (3) months or more." A local newspaper carries notice weekly for two weeks, starting at least 20 days ahead of the sale. Up to the auction, the owner may reclaim the car by paying "the reasonable expense of taking the property in charge, its maintenance and storage and a pro rata of the cost of publication." If the car is on a lot now, read the towed or impounded guide.

State law also has a clock for cars held by others. Leave a vehicle on private or other public property past 48 hours without the owner's consent, and it is treated as unclaimed. Five calendar days is the deadline. The person holding the Florence car reports it to the Alabama Department of Revenue by then. Its title record then gets a 60-day hold.

Title and plates in Lauderdale County

One office we checked is at 102 S. Court St., Floor 1, phone 256-760-5833. It is roughly 2 miles south of downtown, measured straight. There could be more county offices.

A Florence sale needs no notary. Alabama leaves the seller's assignment unnotarized. Certify the odometer figure. It has to agree exactly with the buyer's application. The owner names must be identical to those on the title. If a parent or grandparent is the titled owner, see inherited car before you sign anything.

The plate comes off at the sale. Florence owners pull the plate themselves under Alabama rules and can move it to a later car. Reissuing a missing title costs $15 on the Public Title Portal. There is also a no-title route in Alabama. A Florence car valued at $1,000 or less and aged 12 model years or more can be bought by a scrap recycler or dismantler. In Florence, the buyer files Notice form MVT 5-18 using SCRAP. Once the car is scrapped or dismantled, the title gets suspended or revoked.

Meter tickets

If the car sits in a parking meter zone, tickets are a separate cost. Section 13-156 sets a minimum fine of $5 for overtime at a meter if paid within seven days. Unpaid, a meter fine becomes $25 and other parking fines double. Each extra hour in violation is a separate offense with a new ticket.

Nearby

Athens is 40.5 miles away, Decatur 42.1, Madison 51.7 and Huntsville 56.7. Statewide rules are on the Alabama page.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in Florence? Call (877) 421-6008 or fill in the offer form. We load it from its current spot: a carport in the historic district, a house in the zoning zone outside town, or a shop off Court Street.