Selling a junk car in Fort Lauderdale

What counts as inoperable here

The city's definition is short. An inoperable vehicle is any vehicle, motorized or not, "which is inoperable because it is wrecked, derelict or partially dismantled." The land development code uses the same words in Section 47-34.4 and adds watercraft and "any vehicle on a trailer."

The tag presumption is the part people miss. Your car may idle perfectly in the driveway, yet with an out-of-date plate the city starts from the view that it is inoperable. Under the city's solid waste definitions, car parts and junk are also solid waste.

Residential lots and the right-of-way

Section 47-34.4 is mostly about commercial trucks and boats, but the inoperable vehicle appears in its lists. One clause of that section says no person may park or store the vehicles it describes "upon any residentially zoned property at any time between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m." unless the vehicle is inside a garage or carport that is enclosed on the side facing neighboring homes and screened from the street. Another bars anyone from living or sleeping in such vehicles while they are parked in the city.

The street is riskier. Vehicles parked in a right-of-way in violation of that subsection "may be towed and the charges for towing and storage shall constitute a lien against such vehicle." A storage lien is one more bill attached to a car that is already worth little. Florida's lien law also makes the tower write, by certified mail, to the registered owner, any insurer and each lienholder.

Towed from a city lot

Section 26-164 covers cars left in a public lot after hours or on restricted public property. Where signs warn of towing, police, parking enforcement and code officers can order the car removed. They first look for the owner close by. If nobody turns up, or 48 hours go by with the car unclaimed, the registered owner gets a letter saying it was towed and naming the lot that holds it. Settle the tow and storage bill and it is handed back. Win your appeal of the parking ticket and the city pays those costs instead. Our towed or impounded guide covers what to do next.

Plantation title office and state rules

For Broward County, one FLHSMV service location is a Plantation office, Suite 101 of 1800 NW 66th Ave.; call (954) 765-4697. Fort Lauderdale sellers would head about 6 miles west, as the crow flies.

State law defines junk as an inoperable former car whose main value is scrap metal or parts, and selling one is mostly kitchen-table paperwork. On the face of the title, the seller notes who the buyer is and where they live, the miles shown, the dollar figure and the day; no notary is needed. Unbolt the plate and keep it. A Notice of Sale must follow inside 30 days so the car stops being your responsibility. After a crash, Florida's total-loss line is a repair estimate equal to 80 percent or more of the price of a comparable replacement; see wrecked or totaled.

Getting an offer

Dial (877) 421-6008 or begin online. Share the car's age, brand and model, a mileage ballpark, whether it will start, and how the title stands. Our driver goes to the car: a home driveway, a condo garage, or the repair shop where it quit. Nearby pages cover Oakland Park, Lauderdale Lakes and Pompano Beach, and the Florida page has the state rules.