Selling a dead or junk car in Sebastian

The three ways a car becomes a nuisance

Section 66-3 lists them as separate items:

1. Condition. "Inoperative, junk or abandoned vehicles and vessels on the exterior portions of residential property."
2. Location. An unregistered or unlicensed vehicle or vessel "located to the street side of the building line of the [principal] structure."
3. Count. More than one unregistered or unlicensed vehicle, vessel or vessel/trailer tandem on the property.

Boats are in every line, which matters on a lot where an old outboard and its trailer have been parked next to a dead car. Each one counts toward the total.

Swales, shoulders and the street

Section 98-33 makes it a violation for any motor vehicle "to park in the swale or shoulder of the right-of-way," or to drive or park in a way that "damages the swale." There are exceptions. One fits a breakdown: a car "removed from the paved street due to mechanical failure," or stopped for an emergency like an accident, gets "a time limit of 24 hours." Another lets a resident's car use the shoulder next to their lot when the driveway is full.

Section 98-36 adds more. "No vehicle displaying a 'for sale' sign may be parked on any street right-of-way." No truck, van or road tractor over 23 feet long or 9 feet high may park there either. And no vehicle may block the crossing of a public sidewalk.

Repair work on business sites

On business land, the land development code's conditional-use criteria, Section 54-2-6.4, call for operations "entirely within an enclosed building." No part of the site may hold outside storage "greater than two business days." The planning and zoning commission may approve outside storage of up to two business days, and only with enough land, containment and screening. Those criteria apply to conditional uses on business sites, not to homes.

Title office in Vero Beach

One title office for Sebastian is the Indian River County tax collector at 1801 27th Street, Vero Beach, phone (772) 567-8000. As the crow flies, that is about 10 miles southeast of the middle of town.

Signing over a Florida title

The seller fills in a short block on the front of a Florida title: the buyer and their address, the odometer reading, what it sold for, the date. Per FLHSMV's TL-11, nobody has to notarize it. A lien from a lender must be cleared, and reported cleared, before the title can move.

Unbolt the tag before pickup. In Florida it is the owner's, so it can ride on your next car. Only two things send it back to a service center: relocating outside Florida, or ending the coverage linked to it.

Next comes the Notice of Sale, due within 30 days under Statute 319.22. Form HSMV 82050 has the seller fill in sections 1 and 3; whether the buyer signs is up to them.

Old car, no title? Florida's derelict motor vehicle certificate, HSMV 82137, applies when the car's value is below $1,000 and has 10 model years or more behind it, the model year itself counted as year one. The buyer must be a salvage motor vehicle dealer with a license or a secondary metals recycler with a registration. After that sale the car never carries a title again.

A Sebastian car that hasn't moved in years

Registration lapsed while it sat? Under Statute 320.18 the license tax is waived for months spent in dead storage, if an affidavit, notarized or certified, backs that up. And Statute 320.07 treats driving on tags lapsed for over 6 months as a heavier offense than a shorter lapse. Florida has no emissions test; the program ended in 2000. See car sitting for years, or who buys cars for parts to compare buyers.

Nearby

Palm Bay is 16.5 miles away, straight-line. West Melbourne is 21.6, Melbourne 25.4, Fort Pierce 25.9 and Port St. Lucie 34.9. Statewide rules are on the Florida page.

Getting an offer

Sebastian owners can call (877) 421-6008 or go online. We collect at shops, beside boat trailers or behind houses.