Selling a dead car in Oxford

The 30-day test, word by word

Section 47-178 names the reasons a car "cannot be driven upon the public streets": "being unlicensed, wrecked, abandoned, in a state of disrepair, or incapable of being moved under its own power." So a car with expired tags can qualify even if the engine still turns over. The month counts from the last time it moved.

The same section lists "partially dismantled, non-operating, wrecked, junked, or discarded motor vehicles" in its description of junk piles, next to pallets, lumber and old appliances. Abatement under the chapter can mean repair, demolition "or removal" of the nuisance.

In the sections we reviewed, an inoperable car carries no fine and no notice period. The city may have more in its code, so ask before you plan around a deadline. A car that has been sitting for years often hits this rule first.

Where you cannot leave one

Section 47-183 makes it unlawful to park or abandon a car:

• in thoroughfares, traffic lanes, or "access lanes such as driveways and alleyways"
• in loading, reserved or no-parking zones
• "on property owned by another person, corporation, or entity without the permission of that property's owner"

That last clause matters when a broken car has been pushed onto a neighbor's lot or a store's back corner. House trailers and motor homes get 48 consecutive hours on a public street, and commercial trucks may not park in a residential driveway except to load or unload.

If a stranger's car is the one sitting on your land, state rules call it unclaimed after more than 48 hours without your consent. The person holding it reports to the Department of Revenue within five calendar days. See car abandoned on your property.

Junkyards build fences

Two sections, 47-187 and 42-149, say anyone running a junkyard, a salvage yard or "a place where junk vehicles or salvage vehicles are stored" must fence the whole storage area. A back lot with three dead cars and no fence can draw that question.

Two counties, two offices

Part of Oxford is in Calhoun County and part is in Talladega County. We looked up one office in each, and there may be more:

• 1702 Noble St., Ste. 107, Anniston, 256-241-2900, roughly 5 miles northeast of central Oxford in a straight line
• 1 Court Square, Talladega, 256-362-1460, about 18 miles southwest as the crow flies

These county offices handle plates and registration; the title itself comes from the Alabama Department of Revenue. A seller's signature needs no notary in Alabama. The state also skips vehicle emissions testing. Certify the miles so they agree with the buyer's application. Names must read just as the title shows them. You keep the plates. Take them off and use them on your next car.

Getting an offer

Ring (877) 421-6008 or send the form. Use the offer form for your Oxford car. We collect it where it quit: a driveway, a side street shoulder you may use, or a shop lot. Oxford is about 6 miles from Anniston and about 30 from Gadsden. Statewide rules are on the Alabama page.