Sanford junk cars: the 20-day notice and how to sell

What the code bans

Section 38-176 makes it unlawful "to keep any junk vehicle on any public property or on any private property." There are two exceptions: a car "kept within an enclosed garage," and a car at a lawful business where it is needed to run that business.

Sanford's property maintenance code, Section 18-102, goes further. It says "no inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicle shall be parked, kept or stored on any premises (including public property)." It defines that kind of vehicle as one that cannot be driven on public streets because it is "unlicensed, wrecked, abandoned, in a state of disrepair, or incapable of being moved under its own power." An unlicensed car breaks this rule even if nothing else is wrong with it.

The zoning rules in Section 7.0 add a ban on keeping an inoperable car "in a state of major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled." On a corner lot, a car parked at the side of a house must also be screened from the street by a 6' opaque fence.

Three different clocks

Where the car sits decides how long you have:

• Private property: 20 days after posting, under Section 38-178. If you cannot meet it, you can file an appeal or show "reasonable grounds" for the delay.
• Public property other than a road: ten days, under Section 38-177.
• A road, street, alley, highway or other public easement: the notice requires the owner "to immediately remove the vehicle."

Section 58-48 adds parking clocks of its own. City enforcement officers can tow a car that sits three days running on the same street, with the count restarting only after a 12-hour absence from it. A city garage or metered zone allows one day; city-owned ground that is not for parking allows twelve hours.

The title office is close

Seminole County's FLHSMV service center sits in Sanford itself, on East First Street at number 1101 (ZIP 32771), tel. (407) 665-1000. Only about 2 miles northeast of central Sanford as the crow flies, it is a short errand for a replacement title or an in-person filing.

Still paying off a loan on it? Ownership cannot pass until the lender is paid and tells the state the lien is released.

Florida's sale rules

Unbolt the plate before loading; Florida tags stay with sellers. Statute 319.22 then starts a 30-day clock for your HSMV 82050, and filing it takes your registration off the car.

Insurers total a car under Florida law once the repair bill reaches 80 percent of what a like-kind replacement would cost. The same statute calls a car junk when it cannot run and its best remaining value lies in scrap metal or salvaged components. Either way it can still be sold whole. See wrecked or totaled.

Getting an offer

Use the form or phone (877) 421-6008. Describe the car, the miles on it, whether it fires up, and whose name the title carries. Our truck can take it from a driveway near downtown, a side yard, or a shop's lot. Winter Springs, DeBary and Deltona are all close, and the Florida page covers the rest of the state.