Selling a dead or junk car in Huntsville

At home: inside a building, or off the lot

On a home or other non-commercial property, the code makes it unlawful "to store or keep upon said premises any inoperable vehicle, scrap or junk unless housed in an enclosed structure." A tarp or a carport doesn't count as enclosed. A building does. Elsewhere in the code, section 7-311 describes an abandoned motor vehicle as "one that is in a state of disrepair or is incapable of being moved under its own power."

The zoning ordinance goes further, and here running condition is beside the point. Section 73.14 says: "A motorized vehicle that does not have a current license registration or tag is deemed to be stored only and shall not be parked in a residential yard." It also requires every motorized vehicle to be parked off-street, clear of any right-of-way and sidewalk. A car with a lapsed tag on the lawn breaks the zoning rule even if it starts.

Shops and business lots

Section 12-192 lets a commercial property keep an inoperable vehicle only "in a screened area." A licensed repair or storage business can leave invoiced cars waiting for repair or pickup outside the screen "for a period not to exceed 30 total days." A shop gets only 24 hours of notice, not 30 days. If a repair estimate has left your car parked at a Huntsville garage, see stuck at a repair shop.

Streets and other public property

Section 12-201 makes leaving an inoperable vehicle on public property unlawful. It also defines the term broadly: "any motorized vehicle located on public property without a current and proper license plate affixed thereto shall be deemed to be an inoperable motorized vehicle abandoned and improperly stored." Notice can be fixed to the car itself. If the car is not moved in time, a code officer or a police officer can have it towed and impounded. The owner is entitled to "an immediate due process hearing before the chief of police."

After the tow

Under section 25-84, an impounded car is released once the person redeeming it pays the cost of removal and impounding in full, plus the depository's storage charge. The contract wrecker company holds a lien for those amounts. Vehicles not claimed after being held "for a period of 45 days or more" can be advertised and sold. Towed or impounded walks through the choice between paying the lot and selling the car where it sits.

Three counties, three title offices

Huntsville covers 225.326 square miles of land in Madison, Limestone and Morgan counties. The middle of the city is a long way from the old courthouse square. ADOR's probate office list gave us these three. We measured every distance in a straight line from Huntsville's geographic center.

Alabama title and plate rules

The state issues titles, and county offices handle plates and registration. When you sign a title over, Alabama doesn't require a notary for the seller's assignment. Your tag isn't part of the deal. Unscrew it at pickup, and it may go on whatever you drive next.

Age matters at both ends. Alabama titles stop at 35 model years, so older vehicles aren't required to carry one. At the other end, a Huntsville car of 12 or more model years with a value at or below $1,000 may be scrapped or dismantled without a title in the owner's name, through the buyer's MVT 5-18 notice in SCRAP. Without that, the dismantler has to obtain the properly transferred title. Once a car is scrapped, its title is suspended or revoked. The Alabama page covers the rest.

Nearby

Madison is about 5 miles from Huntsville. Athens is about 17 miles, Decatur about 20 and Cullman about 37, all straight-line.

Getting an offer

Send the form or dial (877) 421-6008. Send the offer form for your Huntsville car. Pickup happens wherever Huntsville's notice found it: a driveway in Madison County, a Limestone County yard, a shop lot, or the curb.