Selling a junk car in Haines City

72 hours, licensed or not

Haines City's Section 11-27 bars anyone from parking, storing or leaving "any licensed or unlicensed motor vehicle of any kind or parts thereof" on private land in town past 72 hours if it is "rusted, wrecked, junked, partially dismantled, inoperative or abandoned." The rule holds "whether attended or not," so even a project car you work on each weekend is covered.

Section 11-44 makes every owner, agent, lessee or occupant responsible for keeping abandoned, inoperable cars and trailers off the property when they hurt the value or enjoyment of the property nearby.

The notice on the windshield

When an officer finds a violation, Section 11-30 has a notice placed on the car itself. It must be at least 8 by 10 inches and weatherproof enough to last 10 days outdoors. It names the ordinance and says the vehicle "must be removed within ten (10) days," or 30 days for a boat, or it "shall be presumed to be abandoned property and will be removed and destroyed."

On or before the posting date, a copy goes by mail to whoever owns the land according to the city's tax records. If you rent, your landlord may hear about it before you do. "If the property is a motor vehicle or boat, the owner will be liable for the costs of removal and destruction."

Streets and corners

On a Haines City street, Section 25-15 lets police treat a car sitting there unattended beyond 72 hours as abandoned and tow it. The garage keeps it until somebody pays the tow bill and the storage bill.

Corners have their own rule. Section 11.4.4 of the land development regulations bars parking any motor vehicle or trailer within 50 feet of an intersection or inside its visibility triangle, and that covers private property too. A dead car at the edge of a corner lot can break that rule even before the 72 hours run out.

Bartow title office and state rules

Haines City drivers share the Polk County FLHSMV counter in Bartow: 430 East Main Street, (863) 534-4700. As the crow flies it lies roughly 20 miles to the southwest.

Florida keeps the seller's part simple. No notary signs off on the title. No smog check is waiting either; the Legislature repealed Florida's Motor Vehicle Inspection Program back in 2000. The plate is yours to unbolt and keep. Then, inside 30 days, the Notice of Sale has to reach the state. The law requires it, and filing it ends your liability for whatever happens to the car next.

Missing title on an old beater? When the car counts at least ten model years and is worth under $1,000, form HSMV 82137, the derelict certificate, lets you sell it straight to a secondary metals recycler with state registration, or to a salvage dealer holding a license. That car is dismantled or scrapped for good.

Getting an offer

Got a car in Haines City? Call (877) 421-6008 or send our offer form. Our driver goes to it: behind a house, under a carport, or in a garage bay. For more on the basics, read selling a junk car. Nearby pages: Winter Haven, Auburndale, and the Florida overview.