Fort Smith dead cars: the 90-day cover rule and selling whole

Section 6-401 and its exceptions

Section 6-401 amends Fort Smith's adopted property maintenance code, and it opens hard: "no inoperable or unsightly motor vehicle shall be parked, kept or stored on any premises." Nor may a vehicle "at any time be in a state of major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled."

Exceptions are few:

• One "parked or stored within a building or enclosed garage on private property."
• One kept by a city-licensed storage, service and repair shop operating in its proper business zone.
• One under active repair, covered between sessions, finished inside 90 days.
• One inoperable "solely because it is not currently registered," allowed "in a covered carport or completely enclosed behind a six-foot opaque screening fence."

That fourth exception won't stretch to a seized engine. An unregistered runner may hide behind a fence; a non-runner in Fort Smith gets the 90-day repair route or a garage.

Open storage and a building official's letter

Section 16-4 adds its own ban on using a property "for the open storage of any abandoned or inoperable motor vehicle." Owners and occupants must clear those items "upon written notice from a building official." Once that letter lands, its deadline is what counts.

Lawns and curbs

Section 14-52 forbids parking or storing a vehicle "on an unimproved surface on the front yard or exterior side yard" of a one- or two-family home. Allowances: 24 hours for a family or social gathering, and up to seven days for visitors during a vacation or an occasion like a wedding or funeral. A non-running car on the grass matches neither.

The street has its own clock. Section 24-108 bars leaving any vehicle "parked, left or stored on any public right-of-way continuously for a period of time in excess of 72 hours."

Fort Smith holding yards and the state clock

Zoning definitions in Section 27-201 describe an impoundment or holding yard as storage for impounded and inoperable vehicles "usually awaiting insurance adjustment or transport to a repair shop," held 60 days at most.

State law then governs the owner's side. A storage firm's certified letter goes out no earlier than the 2nd business day after the car arrives and no later than the 8th. It must flag a 30-day right to dispute the original tow. Owners get 45 days from that letter to collect the car; afterward their rights are gone, and a cash sale to the public follows. Weigh it with towed or impounded.

Sebastian County sellers and DFA

Counties don't issue Arkansas titles. DFA's Office of Motor Vehicle does, at State Revenue Offices, and MyDMV covers registration, titles and plate transfers online. Sebastian County's part is property tax, verified at renewal.

Selling in Fort Smith means signing the title over and handing it to the buyer. Together, fill in Form 10-313: VIN, buyer's name, purchase date, vehicle description, odometer miles, full price, and two signatures. DFA's steps for sellers never mention a notary. Arkansas also has no emissions or safety test you must pass before selling.

Plates go home with the seller. Per DFA's fee schedule, a later tag transfer is $1.00. A Notice of Transfer of Ownership is free and optional; mail it to DFA's P.O. Box 1272 in Little Rock, AR 72203, or bring it in. Ark. Code 27-14-911 protects a seller after a bona fide sale and delivery from liability for the new driver's carelessness.

A scrap sale works differently. To scrap a Fort Smith car, the Office of Motor Vehicle needs the signed title plus DFA's dismantle notice. That office then records the car as dismantled. After you sell lists the final steps.

Towns near Fort Smith

Van Buren is 7.1 miles off in a straight line. Northwest Arkansas is a longer reach: Fayetteville 51.2 miles, Siloam Springs 58.5, Springdale 59.4. State rules: Arkansas.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or send our form. Fort Smith sellers can call or use the offer form to get started. Repair estimate already above the car's worth? Try repairs cost more than it is worth. Pickup comes to it under the tarp, behind the fence, or at a shop.