North Miami Beach: what inspectors flag and how to sell the car

Wrecked and derelict property

The city defines wrecked or derelict property as anything "left or kept unprotected from the elements on private property in a wrecked, inoperative or partially dismantled condition." Motor vehicles are named first in the list that follows. The phrase "unprotected from the elements" matters: the rule is aimed at property left out in the open.

The posted notice and the clock

A posted notice from the enforcement officer states that the vehicle "is improperly stored and is unlawfully upon the property" and must be removed within a time set by the Code Enforcement Board, "not less than ten (10) days." The officer also mails a copy to whoever owns the land, per the tax rolls, and the officer makes a reasonable effort to find and mail the vehicle's owner too. A tenant's car can bring a notice to the landlord's mailbox.

If the time runs out, the city can remove the car. Section 9-5 says the owner who did not remove it "shall be liable to the City for all costs of removal and destruction of such property, less any salvage value received by the City."

Big vehicles at home

Section 10-4 bars parking any vehicle of three-quarters ton or more on city streets at night. Outside B-4 or industrial zones it may not stay on private property for more than one hour, and the code names the carport, the driveway and the private garage. A dead pickup in that weight class cannot simply wait at home.

When a tow company has it

Section 12-20 puts tight rules on towing in the city:

• The tow company must tell the North Miami Beach Police Department within 30 minutes where it took the car and when.
• Its rates must be on file with the police and posted at the storage site.
• If you arrive before the car is hauled away, the driver must disconnect it once you pay a reasonable service fee.
• Release is due within one-half hour of a request with payment offered from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 a.m., or within one and one-half hours from 12:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m.

Our towed or impounded guide covers the paperwork side.

Title office from North Miami Beach

For title work, people in North Miami Beach go about 11 miles south in a straight line to 200 NW 2nd Ave in Miami. You can call that office at (305) 375-5448.

Florida paperwork

Your signature on the seller's block is enough; there is no notary step in Florida. The tag comes off and goes home with you. Statute gives 30 days for HSMV 82050, the Notice of Sale. And an old car has no smog test to pass: Florida ended emissions checks on private cars in 2000. Driving on a registration expired more than six months carries a heavier penalty than a short lapse, which is one more reason a car that has sat a long time is easier to sell than to put back on the road.

Getting an offer

Ask online or at (877) 421-6008. Year, make, model, miles, does it start, title in hand or not: that is all we need to begin. Yard, carport or repair lot, the truck meets it there. Nearby: North Miami, Sunny Isles Beach and Aventura. See Florida for statewide rules.