Selling a dead or junk car in St. Cloud

The words that matter in Chapter 24

Section 24-52 makes it unlawful "to permit, allow or suffer any abandoned, dangerous, derelict, inoperable, stripped or wrecked vehicle to be parked within the city." Section 24-51 explains the terms:

• Wrecked: inoperable "due to one or more deformities which are the result of impact."
• Stripped: inoperable because "a major part or multiple minor parts" were removed.
• Derelict: a wrecked, stolen, stripped or inoperable vehicle that has sat in the same right-of-way space or on the same public parcel "for a continuous period of more than 24 hours."

The tag carries a lot of weight. Under the code, a missing tag (one not "properly attached") is prima facie proof the car is inoperable. On private property it is also prima facie evidence that a wrecked, stripped or neglected car is abandoned.

The carport exception

St. Cloud gives one way to keep such a car legally. Section 24-52 does not apply to a vehicle "parked completely in an enclosed building or parked completely within a carport and covered with a standard vehicle cover." Both halves count: under the carport roof and under a cover. A tarp over a car on the lawn does not qualify, and fire and building codes still apply inside.

When the city tows

Section 42-68 lets city code enforcement staff remove a car "left unattended upon a street continuously for more than 24 hours" that is abandoned, derelict, inoperable, stripped or wrecked. Getting it back means paying the tow and the storage first. A vehicle the city deems dangerous faces a faster track under Section 24-54: it must be removed or repaired "upon notice," and if that does not happen, the city may impound it "without prior notice of such impoundment and with imposition of costs."

Title offices

Some FLHSMV service centers near St. Cloud, each distance as the crow flies:

• Orlando, about 22 miles north: 301 S. Rosalind Ave., tel. (407) 434-0312
• Viera, about 33 miles east: 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Blvd. (Suite A108), tel. (321) 264-6935
• Sanford, about 40 miles north: 1101 E. First St., tel. (407) 665-1000

No notary is involved when a Florida paper title changes hands; the state's TL-11 procedure says so. The front of the title has room for the purchaser and their address, the mileage, the amount paid and the day of sale.

A car that sat a long time

St. Cloud's seven-day rule mostly catches cars that stopped running and stayed put. Two state rules help here. A car parked in dead storage owes no license tax for that stretch, once an affidavit (notarized or certified) says so. Otherwise a lapsed renewal draws a flat delinquent charge, as little as $5 or as much as $250 depending on the tax, beginning the 11th day of the month after it was due. Driving on a registration expired over six months is a heavier offense than a shorter lapse. See car sitting for years.

On sale day, unscrew the tag and keep it; Florida plates follow the owner. Statute 319.22 then gives you a month, 30 days exactly, to send in HSMV 82050.

Getting an offer

Fill in the form or call (877) 421-6008. Expect a few quick questions: model year and make, the odometer reading, does it crank, is the title yours. A covered carport is no obstacle; the truck loads from there as easily as from a driveway or a lot. Kissimmee and Orlando are nearby, and the Florida page has statewide detail.