Selling a dead or junk car in Searcy

Inside, or not at all

The general rule in Section 9-3-2 is strict. "No person shall park, store, leave or permit the parking, storing or leaving of any motor vehicle of any kind, which is wrecked or inoperable, whether attended or not, upon any private property within the city." The exceptions are a car "within a building or enclosed garage" and the expired-tag case above.

The definitions also say what inoperable means here: a car that "cannot be driven upon the public streets" because it is unlicensed, wrecked, abandoned, in disrepair or "incapable of being moved under its own power."

The 30-day notice

Code Enforcement Officers "shall have the authority to remove inoperable motor vehicles and trailers on private property thirty (30) days after written notice has been affixed to the subject item." The notice goes on the car itself. Thirty days from that tag is the window to sell, store it indoors or fix it.

Street clocks: 72 and 48 hours

Searcy streets run on shorter clocks. Under Section 9-3-2, "any inoperable or abandoned motor vehicle sitting on city streets for more than 72 hours may be removed immediately at owner's expense." Section 26-2 goes shorter still: a car illegally parked "on or in the streets, alleys, or other public ways of the City of Searcy," or one that blocked traffic, "for a period of forty-eight (48) hours or more shall be presumed to have been abandoned." The definitions add that a car left on anyone's property for more than 72 hours without the owner's OK is abandoned too.

Larger vehicles face their own ban. Section 26-25 bars parking a truck, tractor, mobile home or trailer over three-quarters of a ton, or wider than 84 inches, on any public street, right of way or alley. The fine is $25.00 to $100.00 per offense.

Getting a towed car back

When Searcy police tow a car, Section 26-2 says the towing expense and daily storage "shall be paid in full by the person claiming said vehicle before it shall be released." The department holds a possessory lien until then. Arkansas law supplies the calendar. A certified letter must leave the lot no earlier than the second business day, and no later than the eighth, after the car comes in. It has to spell out a 30-day right to dispute the tow. Forty-five days after that letter, the owner's rights are waived and the lien holder sells the car at a nonjudicial public sale for cash. See towed or impounded.

Arkansas title and plates

Titles are handled by the Arkansas DFA at State Revenue Offices or on MyDMV, not at the White County Courthouse. Sign the title over, hand it to the buyer, and complete Form 10-313 side by side. No notary appears anywhere in DFA's seller steps. The tag leaves with you, and moving it to a later car is $1.00. To put the sale on record, you can mail the optional, free Notice of Transfer of Ownership to P.O. Box 1272, Little Rock, AR 72203.

Nearby

Cabot, 24.7 miles away in a straight line, is the nearest page; Jacksonville is 33.6. Statewide rules are on the Arkansas page.

Getting an offer

If a 30-day tag is on the car, give us the date it went up. Use (877) 421-6008 or the offer box, and describe what is wrong with it. A White County garage, a backyard or a tow lot are all places the truck can come to.