Selling a dead car in Tempe

The 120-hour cap, even for a car that runs

Tempe also limits how long any car may stay put on a public street. Tempe's Section 19-137 caps every vehicle, "including a disabled vehicle," at 120 straight hours parked on public streets and rights-of-way. Each 24 hours past that is a separate offense. Police may tow the car after posting a 48-hour notice of removal on it, and the owner pays the cost of the tow.

Tags matter on the street too. Section 19-100 also forbids parking a vehicle on a Tempe street or public right-of-way unless it shows current registration.

What Tempe counts as inoperable

Section 21-1 defines an inoperable vehicle as one "physically incapable of its intended operation, or unable to be safely operated at that time." The examples include cars on blocks, cars with a flat tire, and cars "from which the engine, wheels or tires have been removed." A car with a seized engine but four good tires still fits the first half of the test.

Renters and landlords

The rental housing rules in Section 21-38 reach shared parking. In Tempe, lots used by more than one rental unit "shall be maintained free from the storage of abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, unregistered or inoperable vehicles." Where parking serves just one rental unit, it must hold no inoperable, dismantled or wrecked car that is visible from a neighbor's property, a sidewalk or a public street.

There is a repair defense, and it is narrow. The car has to be titled to a resident, it has to be under repair, and the repair and any sign of it must be gone "within fourteen (14) days after the repair was begun." The sections we checked cover streets and rental housing. If you own your home, ask the city whether other rules apply to your lot.

Title, plates and the Sold Notice

Tempe sellers handle titles with the state, not the county. Arizona offers state MVD offices, authorized Third Party offices and the AZ MVD Now site, and much can be done on the site. Many Tempe owners have no paper title, because Arizona keeps titles electronically. eTitle Transfer covers that case, and a paper title just needs your signature on its back. In Tempe, a new owner has 15 days from the sale to file for a fresh title.

Pull the plate before the car is hauled off; it is yours to keep. Selling the Tempe car ends its registration. After a Tempe sale, you have 30 days to deal with the plate. In Tempe, it can move to your next car or be turned in. A Tempe owner may instead sign a sworn affidavit saying the car was destroyed. The Sold Notice is free and has a 10-day deadline. Use AZMVDNow.gov or fill out form 46-8502.

A lost title costs $4.00 to replace through AZ MVD Now. By mail, send form 96-0236 and expect up to six weeks. See junk car with no title.

Getting an offer

Tempe owners can reach us at (877) 421-6008 or through the offer form. Our truck can pick it up at a Tempe home, an apartment parking lot or a repair shop. Chandler is about 8.6 miles away as the crow flies, and Mesa about 12.5. The Arizona page covers the state rules.