Dead cars in Wethersfield: the permit rule and selling one

Chapter 160: the 48-hour permit

The town starts from a clear position: "The parking, indefinitely, of inoperable vehicles, as defined in this chapter, is declared to constitute a nuisance detrimental to the community." It is unlawful to park one "on any unenclosed property within any zone and within 200 feet of any street line or property line" without a permit.

You apply to the Chief Building Official "within 48 hours after any inoperable vehicle has been parked" there. The form asks for:

• the address where the car will sit
• the property owner's name, address and written permission, with its date
• the registered owner's name and address, with the registration or title shown to the official
• make, model and year, the last license issued, and why it no longer works

The conditions, and what breaks them

Section 160-5 attaches five conditions to every permit:

1. "The wheels or tires shall not be removed from the vehicle except for repairs."
2. "The last issued license plates, if any, shall be kept on the vehicle."
3. Removed parts are not stored in the open.
4. "The vehicle may be parked only in the rear yard of residential property."
5. "No more than one inoperable vehicle shall be permitted on any premises."

Break one and the permit can be revoked. The revocation notice is handed to you or "posted conspicuously on the vehicle," with an order to move the car to proper storage or disposal.

That plate condition applies only while the car is stored. Once you sell, state rules take over and the plates come off.

The unregistered car tax

Wethersfield adopted subsection (a) of state law 12-71b in section 149-16. A car that is not registered on October 1 but gets registered before the next August 1 is taxed as if it had been on the October list. If it is registered before November 1, you owe the full amount. After that, you owe a pro rata share. A car that sits for years and then gets plated can bring a bill with it.

Selling with the DMV down the road

Few towns are this close to the paperwork. The DMV itself is in Wethersfield at 60 State Street. In a straight line it is about a mile northeast of the town's center. Titles in Connecticut are a state matter, never a Town Hall one, and most DMV offices take appointments.

What the seller handles:

• Hand the Wethersfield buyer the certificate, signed on the back, together with a bill of sale. Use H-31, or write one that has every item on the DMV's list. There is no notary step on the DMV's list.
• Cars older than 20 model years carry no Connecticut title. Wethersfield sellers use Form Q-1 plus the latest registration.
• Unscrew the plates and end the registration; the online route runs about 7 minutes.
• File the receipt. Until the DMV cancels, stay insured and expect Wethersfield to keep the car on its tax list.

An assessor's bill after the sale gets the cancelled-plate receipt and your sale paperwork in reply. See car property tax.

Getting an offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008. The form covers your Wethersfield car. We can collect beside Broad Street Green, behind a house, or at a garage that is done with it. Nearby: Rocky Hill, Newington and Hartford. Statewide rules are on Connecticut.