Selling an inoperable car in Hoover

How Hoover spots a neglected car

Section 6-2.7 says a car "shall be considered abandoned or disabled if it is in a state of evident disuse, neglect or abandonment." The signs it lists:

• wrecked or inoperable
• partly dismantled, or missing an engine, transmission or other major part
• "no valid license tag"
• "vegetation underneath the vehicle as high as or higher than the lower portion of the vehicle body or frame"

The grass test is the one neighbors notice first. The section also says no car may be "in a state of partial or major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled" at any time.

Hoover's definitions agree on the basics. Section 11-51 calls a car inoperable if it is "unlicensed" or cannot be "moved safely from one location to another under its own power." So an expired tag on a car that runs fine still counts.

Out of sight, or out of Hoover

Every allowed inoperable car must be "screened from view from all public or private street rights-of-way" by an enclosed building, privacy fencing, terrain or plants. Section 8.5-14 lists the only exemptions:

• ordinary service or repair work, "for a period not greater than thirty (30) days"
• a properly zoned wrecking or junking business, or one storing damaged or theft-recovered cars for insurers
• a car fully shielded by a building or privacy fence

The ten-day letter

Chapter 8.5 sets the removal process for cars "parked on private property in public view" when the city cannot hand-deliver a notice. Under Section 8.5-15, a mailed notice "shall be considered received and effective within three (3) days of mailing regardless of whether the notice is actually received." From then the owner has "ten (10) days from the date the notice is received" to remove the car. Then the city hauls it away and charges "the registered owner." The car's owner, a secured party or the property owner may ask in writing for a city council hearing, but only inside those same ten days. See notice to remove a car.

Getting a removed car back

Under Section 8.5-22 you can reclaim a seized car before its sale or destruction. Show proof of ownership and pay the removal, storage and sale-advertising costs. A car impounded off a street goes through Section 9-125 instead: you file a written claim with the chief of police on the city's form.

Plates, title and the county office

Hoover straddles Jefferson County and Shelby County. Hoover owners use the Jefferson County office we found in Birmingham. It sits at 716 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd., phone 205-325-5256. It lies about 10 miles north of central Hoover in a direct line. There could be more county offices. Hoover plates and registration go through the county, while the Alabama Department of Revenue issues titles.

You can sign without a notary. The certified mileage must match the buyer's application, and the names must match the title. Pull the plates when the car goes. If they move to a newer car, transfer them on time; a late transfer draws a $15 penalty plus interest. When a Hoover car sat parked with its registration lapsed, ad valorem tax can be owed for this year plus up to two years before it. After you sell covers the last steps.

Getting an offer

Selling a junk car in Hoover? Ring (877) 421-6008 or use the offer form. We haul it from behind the fence or from the garage it has been parked in. Hoover is about 5 miles from Pelham and about 7 from Vestavia Hills. The Alabama page has the statewide rules.