Pelham's 72-hour limit and selling a junk car

Two limits, depending on where you live

The 72-hour rule covers property inside the city. Pelham also enforces in its police jurisdiction beyond the limits, and there the window is "seven days consecutively." Past that, the code calls the car "a health and safety hazard and a public nuisance."

The rule binds anyone "in charge or control" of the land, "whether as owner, tenant, occupant, lessee or otherwise." Renters are on the hook along with owners.

What counts? Section 14-40 defines an inoperable vehicle as one where "one or more of its major mechanical components, including, but not limited to, engine, transmission, drive train, or wheels, are missing or are not functional." There is a fair exception: a car is not a nuisance if it was made "temporarily incapable of being driven" for "ordinary service or repair operations." A car up on stands for a weekend brake job is fine. One with a seized engine waiting on money is not. Our car doesn't run guide covers the options.

On the street: 24 hours, or none at all

Section 14-41 is stricter still for public roads. "No person shall leave any partially dismantled, non-operating, wrecked, or junked vehicle on any street or highway within the city," which gives no grace period. A separate clause caps "inoperable automobiles and vehicles" on public streets and rights-of-way at 24 hours. Under Section 14-44, a car that sits on a city street for "72 hours consecutively" is also presumed abandoned.

Impound charges and the auction

When the city has a car towed under Section 14-45, the towing service has to tell the Pelham Police Department "within one hour." The city then holds a lien for its towing charge "plus any additional charge," and "four dollars for each day or fraction thereof" in the lot. To release it, you bring a police release order and pay the wrecker its tow and storage fees.

Section 14-46 lets a person named by the mayor auction cars "taken up and stored for a period of three months or more," as often as every six months, at city hall. Notice is published, or posted at city hall or the police station "at least 20 days prior to the sale." Paying the charges does not wipe out any parking fine. See towed or impounded.

Alabama title and plates

Pelham is in Shelby County, and plates and registration run through county license-issuing offices. The Alabama Department of Revenue issues titles for Pelham cars.

• No notary is needed on the seller's assignment.
• Certify the mileage; it must match the buyer's application exactly.
• Owner names on the buyer's application must match the title exactly.
• Keep your plates. They may transfer to a car you buy later.
• A lost title costs $15 to replace through the Public Title Portal; see junk car with no title.
• Does your Pelham car date back twelve model years or more, with a value of $1,000 or under? When that fits, a Pelham dismantler can use Notice form MVT 5-18 and skip your title.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or send the form to begin. Include make, model, year, mileage, any title problems, and if it starts. Pickup works from Pelham driveways, repair-shop lots, or the spot where it gave out. Hoover, Helena and Alabaster have their own pages; statewide rules are on Alabama.