Selling a junk or dead car in Cape Coral

What the city code says about a dead car

The same definition adds a third test: a vehicle "which have no apparent intrinsic value to the rightful owner." Wreckage is not required. Lost registration alone can do it.

Section 11.2 also describes the kind of use the city keeps out of ordinary lots: "the parking, storage or disassembly of junked vehicles, or wrecked or nonoperable vehicles" on private property. A driveway with a stripped car in it starts to look like that.

One thing the code does not do is fold cars into its 48-hour outdoor storage rule. That definition is written "excluding vehicles, boats, and boat trailers," so a car is judged by the abandoned-vehicle wording instead.

Campers get their own clock under Section 12-127.5. A vehicle for human habitation owned by the resident may sit at the home "for a period not exceeding 72 hours for loading and cleaning," and only after a permit is "first obtained from the city."

When a car gets towed from a private lot

Cape Coral sets the ground rules for tows from private property in Section 12-105. Before a tow, the lot needs a sturdy sign with the words "tow-away zone" between three and six feet off the ground. It must be up "for not less than 24 hours prior to the towing." The driver must also photograph the car first, in enough detail to show the violation. The 24-hour rule drops away only in an emergency, and only if the police department was told first.

Section 12-107 governs how storage is billed:

• Storage days run midnight to midnight. Each is one full calendar day.
• The six-hour line. A car stored "six hours or longer" in a calendar day is charged for that day. Under six hours, no charge for the day.
• After-hours pickup. On weekdays between 6 p.m. and 8 a.m., "the late hour gate fee of $45 will apply."

Florida law adds two more rules. Fla. Stat. 715.07 caps how far a nonconsensual tow can haul a car: 10 miles from the pickup spot where a county tops 500,000 residents, 15 miles in the rest. Fla. Stat. 713.78 then makes a tow yard that claims a lien write, by certified mail, to whoever holds the registration, to the car's insurer and to any lender on the title. Per the statute, that letter goes out at day 35 of storage on older models, or day 57 on newer ones. If you can't pay to get a car out, our towed or impounded guide covers the options.

The title office for Cape Coral

There is no title counter in Cape Coral itself. Lee County's office stands at 2480 Thompson Street on the Fort Myers side, and its phone line is (239) 533-6000. Central Cape Coral to that counter is about 8 miles east, as the crow flies. FLHSMV calls these counters motor vehicle service centers.

Florida rules for the seller

• Signing the title. Florida puts the seller's lines up front. There you record who bought it, the buyer's home address, current mileage, the price paid and when. FLHSMV's procedure skips the notary.
• Your plate. The tag follows its owner here, never the vehicle. Unscrew it before the truck leaves; it can be moved to a car you own later. Moving away, or ending the policy linked to it? Turn it in at a service center.
• Notice of Sale. Mail or bring in form HSMV 82050; the law's deadline is 30 days from the sale. Only parts 1 and 3 are yours, and no buyer signature is required. Once it is in, the registration comes off the car and your civil exposure shrinks.
• Lost title. Replace it with form HSMV 82101 first. The duplicate runs $75.25 on FLHSMV's fee list, and Fast Title tacks on $10.00. See selling with no title.
• Old car, no title. Florida's derelict certificate, form HSMV 82137, fits a car under $1,000 in value whose age, counted in model years starting with its own, reaches ten. Only a salvage dealer or a scrap metal recycler holding the state's license or registration may buy it, and the car can never be retitled.
• Water damage. When an insurer totals a car over water, Florida calls it a flood vehicle, and Fla. Stat. 319.14 requires the title to say so before the car can be sold. Our flood damage page explains what that means for a sale.
• Liens. Any lender on the title must be paid in full, and must report the payoff to the state, before ownership can change.

Nearby towns

Fort Myers is 10.4 miles away across the river. Punta Gorda is 18.1 miles, Estero 19.4 and Bonita Springs 23.9. For the statewide picture, see Florida.

Getting an offer

Start online or call (877) 421-6008. Expect a few questions: which car, about what mileage, does the engine turn over, and who is named on the title. Then the truck comes out to a driveway on a canal street, a space at your job or a repair shop lot.