Selling a junk or unregistered car in Bethel

Why Bethel wrote the rule

The town spells out its reasons. It calls outdoor junk cars "an attractive nuisance to children and a peril to their safety." It also points to the gas tank: "the fuel tanks frequently contain gasoline or gasoline fumes and may be subject to explosion in case of fire." And it says such storage "depreciates the value of neighboring properties."

The rule covers more than the person who owns the car. Section 106-3 applies to anyone who is the "owner, occupant, lessee, agent, tenant or otherwise" of the land. A renter with a dead car out back can be on the hook too.

How does the town decide a car is junk? The code weighs "the physical condition of the motor vehicle, the statements of the owner," the time since it last went on a public road, and if it is licensed.

Two ways to keep a car legally

Section 106-3 lists exceptions:

• Under cover. Cars kept "under covered structure, as approved by the Zoning Enforcement Officer."
• Being fixed. Cars "being privately repaired or restored to use," for no more than 90 days. After that, the Board of Selectmen has to grant an extension.

Used car dealers and repair garages holding cars for sale or repair are also outside the 30-day unlicensed test.

The 20-day notice

Once the Director of Public Works sends notice, the clock is short. If the car "is not removed within 20 days after the date of said notice," the town "may enter onto the premises where said vehicle is located and remove the same." Section 106-5 adds the part that stays with the house: "The cost of removal of said vehicle shall become a lien upon said property."

Towed from a Bethel street

Under Section 107-1, police can tow a car that blocks a driveway, sits within 10 feet of a fire hydrant or takes a handicapped space. In Bethel, a car with five or more unpaid parking tickets may be towed after a final notice is sent by registered mail. To get a car back, you pay the Police Department "a fine of $15 and any accumulated fines," then the towing fee at the pound. If you protest the charges, the car can be released for a lien fee equal to the towing charge "plus $5 per day storage fee."

Title and DMV, a short drive away

Bethel Town Hall plays no part in titles; Connecticut's DMV handles every one. We checked its Danbury office, 2 Lee Mac Avenue, roughly 3 miles northwest of central Bethel as the crow flies. Appointments are available at most locations.

A Bethel seller signs the title's reverse and includes a bill of sale. The state's seller checklist has no notary step. State-licensed recyclers must be given the title whenever a car requires one. Connecticut quits titling cars after 20 model years, and a DMV letter shows that exemption. See junk car with no title if yours is missing.

Plates come home with you. An online cancellation, and the receipt it produces, takes the car off Bethel's property-tax rolls; skip it and the bills keep coming. And if the town reports you as tax delinquent, the DMV must deny registrations in your name.

Getting an offer

Selling a Bethel car? Call (877) 421-6008 or use our form. We pick up from Bethel back lots and side streets. Bethel sits next to Danbury and Newtown; see Connecticut for statewide rules.