Selling a dead or junk car in Westport

How Westport's blight definitions read

Section 14-62 is a list of definitions for the town's anti-blight article. The pieces a car owner cares about:

• Unregistered vehicles. Cars, trucks, boats, trailers and motorcycles count wherever zoning does not allow them.
• Inoperable machinery. Listed on its own as a condition on the premises.
• Abandoned lots. "Parking lots left in a state of disrepair or abandonment" make the list too.
• New owners and occupants. Anyone who "has taken title to or legal occupancy of a property within 30 days after the notice of violation provided in Section 14-66" falls in this group.

The notice itself sits in Section 14-66, which we did not review, so read any letter closely. The notice to remove a car guide explains your options.

Street towing follows state law

We did not review a Westport-specific towing rule, so here is how Connecticut statute handles it:

1. In Westport, a car abandoned more than a full day on a public road or someone else's land is an infraction. Westport drivers would face a fine of $85 or more.
2. Officers can sticker an unregistered or seemingly abandoned car. One day on, Westport may tow and store it, and the owner foots the bill.
3. Within 48 hours of a tow, letters go by certified mail to the owner and lienholders. The owner gets 10 days to object.
4. Westport waits 15 days before selling an untitled car worth $1,500 or less. A car worth more waits 45 days.

Insurer-stamped cars

Some dead cars are dead on paper. When an insurer takes a total-loss car for sale, it stamps SALVAGE on the title. If ten or more major component parts are wrecked past repair, the stamp says SALVAGE PARTS ONLY. A SALVAGE car stays off public roads until a salvage inspection is passed and a fresh title issued. Parts-only cars cannot be rebuilt, ever. A FLOOD brand goes on when an insurer declares a water-damaged car salvage or takes it in a claim. More in salvage title.

Danbury for the title paperwork

The state DMV, not Westport, issues Connecticut titles. One office on our list is 2 Lee Mac Avenue in Danbury, around 19 miles north of the Westport town center as the crow flies, though it is not necessarily your only choice. A titled car changes hands when you sign the reverse of its certificate and pass it on, bill of sale attached. If the car dates back more than 20 model years, no title exists; Q-1 and the newest registration take its place.

Plates and the tax rolls

Unscrew the plates and cancel the registration. Until you do, Westport keeps the car on its property-tax list. File the receipt next to a copy of the bill of sale. Should the Westport assessor mail a tax bill in error, those two papers clear it up. Coverage stays on until the cancellation is final.

Getting an offer

Selling in Westport? Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form, and mention any brand on the title. Neighbors include Norwalk, Fairfield, Darien and New Canaan. See Connecticut for state rules.