Selling a dead car in Prattville

Residential rules in section 46-106

The city added section 46-106 for zoned residential areas. Two parts of it matter for a dead car.

• Vacant lots. A vehicle can't be stored on a parcel with no principal structure for more than 72 consecutive hours. Parking a broken car on the empty lot next door doesn't get around the seven-day rule.
• Taking a car apart. "No vehicle shall, at any time, be in a state of major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled". The exception is work "performed inside of an enclosed garage or similarly enclosed area designed for such purposes or concealed to the rear of the residence behind a six-foot-tall opaque fence."

A car the city removes under this section also carries fines on top of the wrecker's charges. The owner gets it back from the wrecker only after the municipal court has the fine paid and issues a receipt.

On the street

Section 46-100 says: "No person shall leave any partially dismantled, nonoperating, wrecked or junked vehicle on any street or highway within the city." For other vehicles, the amended ordinance sets a presumption: a vehicle "left at any place on a street or highway within the City for a period of 72 hours consecutively is an abandoned vehicle."

If the police department removes an abandoned car, the owner can claim it "within two months after its receipt by the City." Getting it back means covering Prattville's reasonable removal costs and the local wrecker's bill. The ordinance also says neither the city nor the property owner is liable for damage to the car during removal or storage.

Title offices for Autauga and Elmore

Prattville spans two counties. From ADOR's probate list, we checked two offices:

• 176 West 5th St., Prattville, phone 334-361-3730, about 2 miles northwest of central Prattville, as the crow flies
• 100 E. Commerce St., Wetumpka, phone 334-567-1140, about 16 miles northeast of Prattville's center, as the crow flies

Alabama paperwork

The seller's assignment on an Alabama title doesn't need a notary. The tag is yours, not the buyer's, and it can go onto a newly acquired vehicle. Lost the title? A Prattville car of 12 model years or older, valued at $1,000 or under, can still go to a dismantler or scrap recycler, who files MVT 5-18 in SCRAP. For anything else they need the properly transferred title. See selling with no title and the Alabama page.

Nearby towns

Montgomery is about 13 miles away. Auburn and Alabaster are each about 57.

Getting an offer

Ring (877) 421-6008 or send the form with model year, make, model, running condition and what the title says. If the car came home from a wreck on a flatbed, see wrecked or totaled. Pickup can be from a Prattville driveway, behind the fence or on the street, ideally before the seven days are up.