Selling a wrecked or dead car in North Little Rock

Which cars the rule leaves alone

Not every parked car counts. North Little Rock's code enforcement page exempts cars that run and move, cars being repaired, and anything closed in out of sight. A sedan kept in a closed garage is out of view, which is what that exemption describes. One propped on blocks beside the house for weeks gets no such pass.

How the 30-day notice works

Subsection 8.3.2 on the city's code enforcement page sets out the steps.

1. Notice. A Code Enforcement Officer "may give the private property owner and the owner of the motor vehicle, if ascertainable, 30 days' notice that the vehicle shall be towed at the owner's expense." To keep it, the owner must restore it "to a functional use," disposed of by the owner, or moved into approved storage.
2. Where it goes. Notice to the car's owner "is sufficient if sent to the owner's address of record on file with the Arkansas Office of Motor Vehicles." If you moved and never updated DFA, the letter can count even though you never saw it.
3. What it says. The notice must describe the car, give "the license number of the inoperable vehicle (if known)," and give the address where it is stored.
4. After a hearing. A post-hearing notice says the car "will be towed at their expense within ten days of the date of the hearing, or the expiration of the original 30 days' notice, whichever is longer."
5. The tow. Code Enforcement then instructs the North Little Rock Police Department to have the car towed under Arkansas law and police policy.

If a notice has arrived, see our guide to a notice to remove a car.

Streets and public lots

Section 42-62 matches the private-property clock: no one may leave any item, "including a wrecked or inoperable subject item," on public property "for a period of time in excess of 72 hours."

Work trucks get less. Under 102-108, "any truck over one-half ton, trailer, house or cargo" may park on a city street for no more than one hour, unless it is being loaded or unloaded. A dead three-quarter-ton pickup at the curb is over that limit within the hour. More on selling a junk truck.

Title and plates in Arkansas

DFA, not Pulaski County, keeps Arkansas titles, working through State Revenue Offices and the MyDMV site. Endorse the title and hand it to your buyer. Next comes Form 10-313, filled in jointly: VIN, buyer, purchase date, description, odometer, the whole price, two signatures. Nothing in DFA's seller instructions calls for a notary.

Arkansas leaves plates with the person selling, and a $1.00 fee shifts them to the next car. If you want the state told, the Notice of Transfer of Ownership is free, optional, and accepted at the Ragland Building, Room 1100, across the river in Little Rock. Ark. Code 27-14-911 frees a seller who genuinely sold and delivered the car from liability for the new driver's negligence.

Headed for the crusher? In North Little Rock you sign the title to the buyer, and DFA's Notice of Intent to Dismantle travels with it to the Office of Motor Vehicle. Cars 25 or more years old without a title can be sold this way on a bill of sale that shows year, make, model and VIN.

Nearby towns

Sherwood is 5.2 miles away in a straight line, Little Rock 8.0, Jacksonville 8.9 and Cabot 17.8. The Arkansas page has the state rules.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or fill out the online form. We can load your car from a North Little Rock driveway, a lot by the water, or a Pulaski County shop. The offer form asks the rest.