Selling a dead or junk car in Glendale, Arizona

How Glendale's code defines a junk car

Section 25-1 casts a wide net. It covers any vehicle "partially or wholly dismantled, discarded, wrecked," one "on blocks, stands or similar devices," one "with a deflated tire or tires," and one that is "physically incapable of operation." An expired license plate, or no plate at all, can also put a car in the group. The rental housing chapter, Section 29.1-4, repeats the same definition, so tenants and landlords live under it too.

Where a dead car may sit on a Glendale lot

Section 24-68 lets up to three vehicles park on a single-family lot in a residential zone. An inoperable one is different. It "shall only be parked or stored in an enclosed structure, garage, or on a dustproof surface within a side or rear yard area located behind a solid six (6) foot tall wall, fence or gate," or behind plantings. A carport or an exposed side yard also works if the car wears "a properly maintained vehicle cover made exclusively for covering vehicles."

Section 24-65 adds a sight test. It prohibits "the unsheltered storage of any abandoned or inoperable vehicle" that a person standing at ground level beyond your lot can see. A cheap tarp won't do. The cover must be a real car cover, and that section lets a covered inoperable car sit only in a carport.

Thinking about a For Sale sign instead? Section 24-65 permits "one (1) vehicle for sale" at a home, and only when it is titled to someone living there and parked on an improved surface.

Streets, fines and tows

Glendale bans parking on a street, alley or roadway "for a period in excess of forty-eight (48) hours" under Section 24-62. Section 24-65 goes further for a dead car: no one may leave an abandoned or inoperable vehicle on any public street, alleyway, parking lot or city property.

Fines can stack. Section 24-80 makes a continuous parking violation "a separate and distinct violation for each full hour," and the registered owner is "prima facie responsible" even when someone else parked it. That is one more reason to file the Sold Notice the day the car leaves.

When police impound a car, Section 24-122 lets the owner get it back by proving identity and ownership, signing a receipt, and paying the towing and storage charge. Paying does not erase any other traffic penalty. The towed or impounded guide covers what to do next.

Arizona title, plates and the Sold Notice

Glendale sellers do not visit a county counter for any of this; Arizona keeps title work with the state. Your choices are a state MVD office, an authorized Third Party office, or the AZ MVD Now website. Because Arizona records titles electronically, a Glendale owner may hold no paper at all. In that case the eTitle Transfer tool does the job online. With a paper title, you sign on the back and pass it to the buyer once the car is theirs. ADOT's list of seller steps contains no notary. Two names on the title? Whether they are joined by OR, AND or AND/OR settles who must sign.

The plate belongs to you in Arizona, so unscrew it before the truck leaves your Glendale curb. Next comes the Sold Notice, free and due inside 10 days, filed through AZMVDNow.gov or with form 46-8502. Skip that step and MVD's records may keep your Glendale car in your name. That counts, since an abandoned car carries a fee from $500 up. After you sell lists the rest.

No title anywhere? Arizona charges $4.00 for a replacement. Request it at AZ MVD Now, or send form 96-0236 by mail and expect up to six weeks. See junk car with no title.

Getting an offer

Ring (877) 421-6008 or send the form. Describe the car and its rough mileage, say if it cranks, and say if your title is paper or electronic. Pickup works from behind a side-yard wall, from under a carport, or from the shop where the repair stalled. Glendale borders Phoenix, and El Mirage is roughly 8.8 miles away, measured straight. See the Arizona page for statewide rules.