Selling an inoperative car in Jonesboro

What makes a car inoperative in Jonesboro

The definition in 30-1 starts broad: any motor vehicle "which is inoperable, dismantled, damaged or is unable to start or move under its own power." Then it lists specific conditions. One is missing parts. The code's list of "major operating components" includes "windshield glass, gauges, steering wheel, tie rods, springs, drive train, gear box, rear end," anything tied to steering geometry, and the seats. Another is the three-day rule for a car on blocks or jacks. A third covers a car "significantly damage[d] due to an accident, dismantled, partially dismantled and is unsafe to be drive upon public roadways."

So a car that runs can still qualify if its seats are out. So does one that is "unable to start." Stripped cars may fit several clauses at once; see selling a car with missing parts.

Two notices, two clocks

Chapter 30 uses two different notice periods.

• Seven days for nuisance conditions under section 30-4. After "seven days' written notice by the police department or code enforcement officers," the city "will do whatever is necessary to correct the condition" and bill the property owner. The section's title says that cost can become a lien on the land.
• Thirty days before the city takes a vehicle. Under 30-7, "before any abandoned or inoperative motor vehicle is taken into custody and possession from private property," the city sends "30 days' notice by registered or certified mail" to the landowner or occupant and, if known, to whoever owns the car. It stays put unless it is "restored to a functional use" or disposed of lawfully.

The 30-day notice "may be waived by the owner or occupants of the property jointly and severally." If you have already decided to get rid of the car, you do not have to wait out the month. If a letter has arrived, our guide to a notice to remove a car explains your options.

Who the rule does not reach

Section 30-5 exempts an inoperable vehicle "held in conjunction with a business enterprise lawfully licensed by the city for the storage, servicing, or repair of motor vehicles," as long as that property follows city ordinances. A car sitting at a licensed shop is that shop's question, not yours. A car at home has no such cover.

Wrecker yards have their own limits. Under 117-250, a wrecker service may store towed cars only temporarily, "for a period not to exceed 30 days," inside "an enclosed opaque fence or wall" six to eight feet high.

Street parking in Jonesboro

Moving a dead car to the curb trades one rule for another. Code 66-192 bans parking any vehicle on a street, street right-of-way or city-owned lot "for the purpose of displaying said vehicle for sale." It also keeps trucks rated three-quarter ton or more off streets and alleys "from the hours of 12:00 midnight and 6:00 a.m." Two downtown stretches, Main Street from the railroad tracks to Jefferson Avenue and Matthews Avenue from Main to Carson, allow no parking "between the hours of 2:00 a.m. and 5:00 a.m." Violators can be "fined in any sum not to exceed $25.00," and "each day said violation is allowed to remain shall constitute a separate offense."

Downtown, 66-228 makes on-street parking two hours in the area from Matthews Avenue north to Cate/Burke Street and from Union Avenue east to Church Street, unless signs say otherwise.

If a wrecker has already taken it, Arkansas law sets the timeline. The Jonesboro tow company mails a certified letter 2 to 8 business days after towing, and no public sale may happen until 45 days after it.

Craighead County title and plates

No county clerk touches an Arkansas title. That is the job of DFA's State Revenue Offices. On MyDMV you can apply for a title, move a plate or pay sales tax online.

For the seller it comes down to a signature and a form. In Jonesboro, you sign on the back of the title and give it to the person buying. Then sit down together with Form 10-313 and add the VIN, buyer, sale date, description, mileage, price and two signatures. There is no notary step in DFA's seller instructions. From the sale date, a buyer gets 60 days to register before penalties.

Unscrew the plates first. Arkansas treats them as yours; a $1.00 fee moves them to whatever you drive next. Want a record with the state? Filing DFA's Notice of Transfer of Ownership is your choice and free in Jonesboro, and Ark. Code 27-14-911 keeps a genuine seller who delivered the car clear of the new driver's negligence.

Lost title. Replacing one is $10.00. At a State Revenue Office, the last owner named on the Jonesboro title signs an Application for Title or Replacement Title. Expect it to take three weeks or longer. With a lien still recorded, form 10-315 goes to the lienholder for signature, and the fresh title goes to them.

Only good for parts. Arkansas will issue a PARTS ONLY title on request when damage leaves a car valuable only for its parts (Ark. Code 27-14-2302). After that it may never be registered for road use.

Nearby towns

Paragould is 18.6 miles away in a straight line. West Memphis is 53.6 miles off and Searcy 71.6. State rules are gathered on the Arkansas page.

Getting an offer

Jonesboro sellers can call (877) 421-6008 or send the offer form online. Pickup can be from a carport with the car up on jacks, a side yard, or a Craighead County shop.