Boca Raton junk cars: 72 hours and counting

Wrecked versus inoperable

Section 10-118 treats the two differently. "No person shall park, store, leave or permit" a wrecked motor vehicle on private property in the city, full stop. An inoperable one gets the 72-hour allowance. Both are exempt inside "a building or carport" on private property, or when held by a licensed repair business operating in the right business zone.

Section 10-117 adds a citywide limit. Nobody may abandon or leave any motor vehicle, "including a wrecked or inoperable motor vehicle, whether attended or not," anywhere in the city beyond 72 hours.

Notice, order, removal

Section 10-121 sets the deadline. The car must go within the time given in the notice to remove, or within 48 hours after a special magistrate enters an order affirming the city's finding. The duty falls on the car's owner and on the owner or occupant of the property, "either or all of them."

If it is still there, the enforcement authority may take possession and remove it. The car owner and the property's owner and occupant are "jointly and severally liable" for the expense. Blocking the city from entering to remove the car is unlawful.

Section 10-124 leaves one way back. Before the city disposes of the car, the owner can redeem it with "proper evidence of ownership" and payment of all towing, storage and sale expenses. Once it is disposed of, that right ends.

Street and private-lot towing

Section 16-33 keeps parked cars off the paved part of rights-of-way unless spaces are marked or signs allow it. A breakdown is an exception, but the driver should get the car wholly or partly off the pavement where practical.

For unauthorized tows off private land, Section 16-43 requires the storage yard to be open from 8 a.m. until 11 p.m. on the day of the tow.

The title office is a drive

Palm Beach County has a title office up in West Palm Beach (third floor, 301 North Olive Avenue; call (561) 355-2264), roughly 24 miles north as the crow flies. Most private sellers can skip the drive:

1. On the paper title's front, record the buyer, the miles shown, the agreed price and the day. Florida skips the notary.
2. Take off your plate. It is yours to keep.
3. Send the state HSMV 82050 before 30 days pass.

From there the clock is the buyer's: 30 calendar days to retitle it, or a late transfer penalty. If an insurer has called your car a total loss, Florida uses an 80 percent test: repair cost at the time of loss at or above 80 percent of the cost to replace it. See wrecked or totaled.

Close by

Deerfield Beach is 4.4 miles from Boca Raton, Delray Beach 5.8, Coconut Creek 8.1 and Pompano Beach 9.2. For the whole state, see Florida.

Request an offer

Send the details online or talk to us at (877) 421-6008: the model year and make, the model, its mileage, running or not, and title or no title. After you sell covers the plate and insurance.