Selling a junk or dead car in Key West

How Key West defines a dead car

Section 70-128 gives three words their own meaning:

• Inoperable: "a vehicle incapable of being immediately driven," including one that "does not have an engine or does not have wheels or tires."
• Junked: a vehicle "that is substantially dismantled," including one that "has incurred substantial damage."
• Abandoned: property that counts as abandoned under Florida Statute 705.101, following the state's procedures.

Then comes the line that matters most: "An inoperable or junked vehicle or vessel, or a vehicle without a current license tag, constitutes prima facie evidence of abandonment." A car with a lapsed tag can be treated as abandoned. So can one that will not start.

When an enforcement officer sees an abandoned vehicle "on the public right-of-way or in a public place," the officer may have it removed under Chapter 705 of state law. That chapter's Statute 705.103 starts a 5-day clock with a notice stuck to the vehicle. Once it runs out, the agency can haul the car away and get rid of it.

Planned districts are stricter

Some parts of the island fall under planned development rules. In a PRD district, Section 107-35 says no inoperative motor vehicle "shall be stored or used for storage on any lot or parcel of land" unless "within a completely enclosed building." Section 108-288 says the same for PD and PRD districts. Neither a tarp nor a carport meets that test.

If it gets towed

Under Section 70-117, police and certified parking enforcement officers can move a car parked against the code. The owner then has "the duty" to pay the towing charges, "including towing and wrecker charges and storage." Storage keeps running while the car sits at the lot.

Title and plates in Monroe County

Monroe County's tax collector has an office at 1200 Truman Ave, Ste 101, reachable at (305) 295-5000. On a straight line, as the crow flies, it is about 1 mile southwest of Key West's center. We checked that office; Monroe County may run others.

Florida does not want a notary on the seller's signature. For an electronic title in Key West, buyer and seller visit a motor vehicle service center side by side, each with photo ID, to move it over and record the mileage. Any open loan on the car blocks the transfer until the lender is paid off and reports it. When the car is gone, keep the plate, since in Florida it stays with the seller. Dropping the insurance that covers that plate? Then FLHSMV wants the tag handed in at a service center. Send in HSMV 82050, the Notice of Sale, before 30 days pass.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form with the make, model and year, the odometer number, whether it will run, and the title story. Pickup can happen on a side street, in a condo lot or inside a repair bay. The towns with pages are all over 100 miles up the road: Homestead is 103.9 miles and Naples is 109.6. The Florida page has the statewide rules.