Selling a junk or dead car in North Lauderdale

Section 106-195 and the permit route

The rule covers two kinds of car, and the way out differs for each:

• No current plate, but it runs: you can keep it on private property if it "displays a valid temporary parking permit issued by the city in accordance with section 106-205."
• Not in operable condition: the permit sentence covers only the missing plate. A car that won't run belongs in "an approved junk and/or salvage yard, or fully enclosed building."

In a city of 4.622 square miles, a tarped dead car beside a house is easy for neighbors and inspectors to spot.

Section 26-51 adds its own label. Abandoned personal property includes "wrecked, inoperative or partially dismantled motor vehicles" left "unprotected from the elements."

Towing after a citation

Section 106-235 sets out what happens when a vehicle breaks the city's parking rules:

1. The car can be towed and impounded "not less than 48 hours after the vehicle has first been cited."
2. Before the tow, the community development department "shall reasonably attempt to locate the owner or operator" near the car.
3. If the car sits unclaimed for 48 hours and the owner's address can be found, the city mails written notice of the tow and where the car is.
4. To get it back, you pay the citation, towing and storage fees to the towing company. You also pay the city 25 percent of the maximum towing rate in Broward County's nonconsent towing table.

If you appeal under Section 66-41 and win, "the costs of removal and storage of the vehicle shall be borne by the city."

Paperwork for a North Lauderdale seller

Suite 101, 1800 NW 66th Ave., Plantation; call (954) 765-4697. As the crow flies, that Broward service center is about 5 miles south of central North Lauderdale. We checked that office, and others may exist.

An unplated car often has a title problem too. If the paper title is lost, Florida wants a duplicate before the sale. Older cars have a second route. Does your North Lauderdale car have ten or more model years on it and a value below $1,000? A registered secondary metals recycler can buy it, and so can a licensed salvage motor vehicle dealer, once a North Lauderdale owner holds the derelict certificate, Form HSMV 82137. That car is never titled again. Our no-title guide walks through both.

At the sale, keep your plate. It stays with you in Florida, not with the car. North Lauderdale sellers clear the car from their record by sending HSMV 82050, the Notice of Sale, in 30 days or less.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form. North Lauderdale owners can begin with our short offer form. A pickup from the cited driveway, before a tow adds fees, is the simplest end. Tamarac is 2.2 miles away and Margate is 2.5. The Florida page has the statewide rules.