Selling a junk or dead car in Hot Springs

How the five-day notice plays out

Section 17-2-4.6 lays the steps out in order.

1. Written notice. It is served on the vehicle's owner or the person responsible for leaving it on the property.
2. Five days. The clock runs from receipt of the notice, or from the "return of said notice letter" when it went by U.S. mail.
3. Twenty days when nobody claims the car. If the vehicle's owner "cannot be determined or located," the notice goes to the property owner or whoever controls the land, and they get "20 days from the receipt of such notice."
4. Removal. Once that time runs out, the city can have the vehicle "or portions thereof" removed and handled "as an abandoned vehicle under the laws of the State of Arkansas."

Getting the car back is not free. Besides towing, removal and storage, the code adds "a cost of investigation, hereby determined to be $25.00 per vehicle," plus the city's postage and related fees, all "paid to the city upon redemption by the owner."

The 24-hour tag

The same section has a faster track. It says "the vehicle shall be tagged with a notice requiring the owner of said vehicle to remove same within 24 hours." Should it remain, the city "is hereby authorized and directed" to tow it and impound it "in accordance with the laws governing abandoned vehicles." A tag on the windshield is a different clock from the five-day letter, so read which one you got.

Parking a car that has stopped running

Chapter 4-6 of the code has a section titled "Parking restrictions for abandoned, unused or inoperable vehicles" (4-6-4). Its full wording was not in the material we had, so check with City Hall before parking a dead car on the street.

Two other street rules are spelled out. Under 4-6-5, cars inside city limits park "to the driver's right-hand side of the street," except on one-way streets, where either side is allowed unless signs say otherwise. Breaking it is a misdemeanor with a fine "of not less than $25.00." In the plaza, 13-4-1.4 limits public parking to "ten hours in any given 'civil' day" unless marked otherwise, and long-term spaces are only for people leaving the car to use other transportation. A car that cannot be moved will run past either limit.

If a tow truck or repair shop already has it

Arkansas statute takes over once a lot holds the car. Certified letters must reach owners and lienholders, mailed at least 2 but no more than 8 business days after the tow firm takes possession (Ark. Code 27-50-1208). The letter also says you have 30 days to dispute the first tow (27-50-1207). Count 45 days from the letter. When the Hot Springs period ends, so do the owner's rights. Under 27-50-1209, the lien holder may then hold a nonjudicial public sale and sell the car for cash. Our towed or impounded guide lays out the options.

Repair shops run on a similar 45-day count. Under 27-50-1101 a car becomes abandoned there when nobody claims it for 45 days, or when 45 days pass after the work with the bill still unpaid. A bill bigger than the car's worth? Read stuck at a repair shop.

Title and plates for a Garland County seller

Garland County does not issue titles. Arkansas's Department of Finance and Administration does, through State Revenue Offices and its MyDMV website.

Selling means two things on paper. First, endorse the title and pass it across. Second, work through Form 10-313 side by side with your buyer: VIN, buyer's name, date of purchase, the car's description, mileage, full price, then both signatures. DFA lists no notary among the seller's steps. No Arkansas emissions or safety testing program turned up, so no certificate changes hands either.

Plates come home with you, and moving them onto a replacement car costs a dollar ($1.00). Filing DFA's Notice of Transfer of Ownership in Hot Springs is optional and costs nothing. You can mail it or bring it in person to Little Rock.

Scrap or dismantling. In Hot Springs, you sign the title to the buyer, who sends it to the Office of Motor Vehicle along with DFA's Notice of Intent to Dismantle. Once OMV logs the car as dismantled, the title is cancelled for good, unless whoever filed certifies within 90 days that it was a mistake.

Totaled by an insurer. Arkansas prints SALVAGE on a title after damage hits 70% of average retail value or more, or after water climbs over the dashboard; flood damage has no separate brand. REBUILT and PARTS ONLY are the other two brands. Salvage branding skips any car whose model year is more than 7 years older than the year it was damaged. More on salvage titles.

Towns around Hot Springs

In a straight line, Benton is 27.9 miles away, Bryant 33.0 and Little Rock 42.6. For state rules in one place, see Arkansas.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 about your Hot Springs car, or start with the offer form. A truck can come to a driveway, a Garland County garage, or the tow lot.