Selling a junk or dead car in Delray Beach

72 hours, then a presumption

Delray Beach treats a wrecked, dismantled, untagged or inoperable car as "presumed to be abandoned whether attended or not" once it has been on property in the city for more than "seventy-two (72) hours." Section 90.03 covers private property and Section 90.02 covers public property, with the same 72-hour line.

Section 90.01 says what inoperable means. A car qualifies if it "does not meet the requirements for operation upon the public streets," including being untagged, "wrecked, abandoned, in a State of disrepair or incapable of being moved under its own power." Lots of car dealers holding a valid license and registered antique or collector vehicles are carved out.

The notice and what follows

On private property, the officer posts a notice saying the car "must be removed within five (5) days from the date of this notice unless a hearing has been demanded within five (5) days." The officer also mails a certified-mail notice to the owner of the land. When no hearing is requested and the car is still there on the Final Correction Date, the officer can have it removed.

Within five days after a removal, a Notice of Removal goes out by first-class mail with the final date to reclaim the car. Not getting the mail does not stop any deadline, as long as it was properly sent.

On public property, the owner who does not act is liable for removal, storage, disposal and publication costs, less any salvage value. For a car, unpaid costs mean no "certificate of registration for such boat or motor vehicle, or any other," until they are paid.

Street parking, towing and auction

Police may tow a car "parked continuously upon a street for more than seventy-two (72) hours," after following the 90.02 notice steps. The owner pays for hauling and for every day stored, and the car stays put until that bill is settled.

Leave it unclaimed for 30 days after the notice goes out, and Section 71.073 has the Chief of Police sell it at public auction in the city, with notice mailed to the owner and lienholders at least 10 days ahead. You can still take it back before the sale by paying the city's storage and advertising costs.

Near the beach there is one more limit. Section 71.041 bans parking any vehicle on State Road A1A, south of Miramar Street and north of Atlantic Avenue, between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Title office in West Palm Beach

As the crow flies, Delray Beach is about 18 miles south of the county title office in West Palm Beach. Its address: 301 North Olive Avenue, 3rd Floor. Its phone: (561) 355-2264.

Florida's part of the sale

• Fill in the front of the title as seller: who is buying and their address, current miles, price and sale date. No notary.
• Paid off the car but the title still shows a lien? The lienholder must report it satisfied before the title can move.
• An electronic title means an in-person stop at a service center for both of you, IDs in hand.
• Keep the plate. It can go on your next vehicle.
• Report the sale to the state within 30 days on HSMV 82050. The law requires it.

The title in a relative's name? See car not in your name.

Getting an offer

Go online or call (877) 421-6008 and describe the car: model, year, miles, if it will start, and whose name appears as owner. The truck can pick up from a house a few streets from the ocean, a condo garage, or a shop where the repair never happened. Close by: Boynton Beach, Boca Raton, and Florida for state rules.