Panama City junk cars: the code, the title and the sale

The 14-day limit

Section 12-57 is the main rule. No one may "park, store, leave or permit the parking, storing or leaving" of a vehicle that is "abandoned, wrecked, dismantled, inoperative, rusted, junked or partially dismantled" on any lot in Panama City, public or private, "for a period of time in excess of 14 days." That applies "whether attended or not," so a car you visit every weekend still counts.

The exceptions: a car "enclosed within a building on private property," one totally hidden behind an authorized fence, and vehicles held by a licensed business operating in the right zone.

"Inoperative" is broad in Section 12-56. It means "any condition of dysfunction, partial mechanical disrepair or incompletion," or anything that makes the car "unfit or unsafe" to drive on public highways. And a car not repaired or moved within 14 days of a notice "shall be presumed to be inoperative, regardless of the nature or extent of any repairs" it would take.

How a code officer reads a neglected car

Chapter 22 has its own process for disabled and abandoned vehicles on private property. Section 22-308 says a vehicle violates it "if it is in a state of evident disuse, neglect or abandonment." The evidence it lists is specific:

• vegetation underneath "as high as the vehicle body or frame"
• refuse or debris collected underneath
• being used solely for storage
• having "no engine, transmission, or other major and visible parts"
• no valid license tag

When the main sign is only a missing tag or weeds, the inspector decides from the full picture.

The ten-day citation

Under Section 22-311, the code enforcement officer places a written citation on the car saying "it must be removed within ten calendar days or it will be subject to removal by the city." The officer also tries to reach the vehicle owner, any lienholder and the property owner by mail or personal service, including at the address on the title.

If a Panama City car is still there after ten days, the city manager or a designee has it "removed by and released to an approved wrecker service for disposal." Under Chapter 12, the chief of police may take it when the 14-day compliance period ends or a city commission hearing upholds the violation. Section 12-64 makes it unlawful to block anyone entering private property to remove it.

Streets, public parking and fines

• 48 hours in public parking. Section 22-36 says a vehicle "parked and left unattended for a period of 48 hours in public parking spaces shall be deemed abandoned and subject to removal." Police must notify the owner in writing of the removal and where the car went.
• Fines. Section 22-34 sets a fixed fine for nonmoving infractions, with its own line for parking without a current plate and validation sticker. Pay or contest a ticket within 30 days.
• Three tickets. A vehicle with three or more unpaid tickets or notices can be booted or towed.

Panama City's Section 12-69 lets an owner win back a seized car before it is sold or destroyed. They show it is theirs and cover the city's costs, which begin with removal, advertising, attorney's fees and a title abstract. When the bill climbs past what the car is worth, our towed or impounded guide lays out the choices.

Bay County's title office

FLHSMV lists one office for Bay County, and it is in Panama City itself: 850 W. 11th St., (850) 248-8501. It is about 10 miles southwest of central Panama City as the crow flies. You mostly need it to reassign an electronic title, which takes seller and buyer in person with photo ID, or to get a duplicate.

Florida title rules for a junk car

• Signing. In the title's "Transfer of Title by Seller" box, write the purchaser and their home address, the odometer, the sale price and the sale date. Panama City sellers need no notary for it.
• Duplicate. Lost the Panama City title? Panama City owners start on HSMV 82101 at $75.25. Picking Fast Title tacks on $10.00.
• No title. Panama City sellers with an untitled car can still sell it for scrap, to a licensed salvage dealer or to a registered secondary metals recycler, if it qualifies for a derelict certificate, HSMV 82137. The bar is under $1,000 in value and a model year at least 10 years back. It then has to be dismantled or crushed, and it never gets a title again.
• Flood. A car totaled for water damage gets a flood stamp on its title before any sale. Our flood damage guide explains the brand.
• Loans. The lender must be paid and must report it; no transfer until then.

Plates and the notice of sale

The tag is yours, not the buyer's. Put it on your next car. If you're leaving Florida or dropping the insurance for that plate, turn it in at a service center. Then, before 30 days are up, file HSMV 82050. It takes your registration off the car and helps shield you from civil liability if the car turns up later.

Nearby towns

Lynn Haven is 6.4 miles away and Panama City Beach 20.7 miles away. Beyond Bay County, Fort Walton Beach is 66.3 miles and Tallahassee 77.6. Florida covers the state rules.

Getting an offer

Phone (877) 421-6008 or fill in the form online: the car, its miles, if it still runs, the name on the title. The truck then comes to the Panama City driveway, side lot or shop holding it.