Temple Terrace junk and dead cars: how to sell one

What makes a car inoperative here

Section 12-860 spells out the test. The term "inoperative vehicle" includes:

• "Any vehicle from which parts, including, but not limited to, the chassis, engine, wheels or tires have been removed"
• "Any vehicle without a valid, current registration and displayed tag"

The city's property code, Section 8-2, adds a third kind: a vehicle "incapable of movement under its own power" that "will remain so unless major repair or reconstruction occurs." A car with a blown engine waiting on a rebuild that may never come fits that description.

There is one carve-out. Section 12-860 "shall not be deemed to prohibit the restoration of vehicles within an enclosed garage." Indoors, a project car is fine. Under a tarp on the driveway, it is not.

Let a few cars pile up and the rules change again. Under Section 12-40, storing "two (2) or more wrecked or partly dismantled motor vehicles" for "two (2) or more months" counts as a junkyard.

Driveways and city parking

Even a working car has to sit on a proper surface. Section 12-921 says "all vehicles shall be parked on a permanent driveway" that is durable, stabilized and dustless. A dead car parked on the lawn while you decide what to do breaks two rules at once.

On city property, Section 20-3 covers reserved and disabled spaces. A ticketed car there can be towed if it is a safety hazard, blocks traffic, or "is not removed in four (4) days." None of the code sections quoted here sets a notice period for a dead car on a private lot, so do not count on a grace period.

Title work in downtown Tampa

FLHSMV lists an office in downtown Tampa: 601 E. Kennedy Blvd., (813) 635-5200. It sits about 8 miles southwest of the center of Temple Terrace, measured as the crow flies.

Florida needs no notary on the title. An open car loan freezes the title until the lender files word that it is satisfied; see still owe on the loan.

Plates never transfer with a Florida car. Unscrew it and hold on to it for a future vehicle. Florida law then requires the Notice of Sale, form HSMV 82050. Sellers fill in sections 1 and 3 only; the buyer may sign but need not. It is due 30 days after the sale. Separately, the buyer has 30 calendar days to title the car or pay a late penalty.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or use the online form. Describe the car by year and model, give its mileage, and say if it runs and what title you have. Missing parts are fine; see missing parts. We collect from wherever it is parked: a garage, a carport or a driveway off 56th Street. Tampa is 8.1 miles away. Statewide rules are on the Florida page.