Selling a junk or dead car in Stratford

Stratford's abandonment rule, step by step

Section 202-1 is the town's main junk-car rule, and it moves quickly:

1. The fine. Leaving a car "whether registered or unregistered" on a town street, on town property, or on someone else's land without consent "for a period longer than 24 hours" carries a $150 fine.
2. Who pays. The last owner of record at the DMV "shall be deemed to have been the owner" when the car was abandoned. Sold it but still on the DMV's books? That clause points at you.
3. The sticker. A Stratford officer who spots an apparently abandoned car, or one lacking proper registration, sticks a notice where anyone can see it.
4. The tow. If the car is still there after 24 hours, the Stratford Police Department tows it and stores it where the Chief of Police directs.
5. The bill. Police may impound and dispose of the car, and the disposal cost lands on the owner on top of the fine.

Tow companies answer to the same rule. Under Section 202-2, a towing business caught breaking it pays $100 per violation.

Snow, shops and side streets

Once snow piles up on a town street, Section 203-1 turns on alternate-side parking: odd-numbered side on odd days, even side on even days, each day running from one morning to the next. When the Mayor declares a snowstorm or emergency, cars left on the wrong side are ticketed and towed. A car that won't start cannot swap sides, so move it before the storm.

Repair shops and dealers get three hours a day to leave a customer's car on a public highway, sidewalk or town common. Zoning Section 4 also keeps cars waiting for repair, and tow trucks, off the street and out of the right-of-way. If a Stratford shop is pushing your dead car onto the curb, see car stuck at a repair shop.

Bridgeport for title business

Titles come from Connecticut's DMV, not Stratford's town offices. The branch we checked is at 95 Sylvan Avenue in Bridgeport, roughly 3 miles west of central Stratford on a straight line.

On the title's reverse side you sign as seller, then hand that over, plus a bill of sale. Notarizing is not part of the DMV's steps. Licensed recyclers won't take a car that legally needs a title unless they get the title too, and they stamp it "JUNKED." Connecticut skips titling once a car is older than 20 model years; sell that one on Form Q-1 and your most recent registration. Our bill of sale guide shows what Form H-31 asks for.

After the car is gone

Keep the plates and cancel the registration with the DMV. Cancelling online takes about 7 minutes, and the plate disposition receipt proves it. That receipt matters most in Stratford, since Section 202-1 points at whoever the DMV still lists. Leave insurance on until the cancellation clears. Still got a Stratford tax bill? Bring that receipt and a bill of sale copy to the Stratford assessor.

Getting an offer

Selling a car sitting in Stratford? Call (877) 421-6008 or send the offer form. Nearby pages cover Bridgeport, Trumbull, Shelton and Fairfield, and statewide rules are on the Connecticut page.