Selling an inoperable car in West Melbourne

Three ways a car becomes inoperable

Section 26-201 deems a motor vehicle inoperable if any one of these is true:

• it "cannot be safely operated on the public highways and city streets on a daily basis"
• it "does not have a current license and vehicle registration"
• it "lacks any parts, equipment, or other items required by state law"

The tag test cuts both ways. A car without "a current registration and license plate issued pursuant to state law" is "presumed to be abandoned property". But a fresh tag does not clear a car that has been "left inoperable, abandoned, unused or unprotected from the elements". Renewing the registration on a car that has not moved in years will not settle a complaint.

What counts as a carport

The code is specific. A carport is "attached to and an integral part of a residence", built to cover "no more than two motor vehicles", with "a permanent roof meeting all applicable building and zoning codes". A freestanding metal frame with a fabric top fails on two counts.

A 48-hour notice on the street

Parking violations move faster. When a vehicle breaks the parking rule in Section 26-166, Section 26-169 has police or the code enforcement officer attach a weather-resistant notice: "This vehicle must be removed and the violation corrected within 48 hours of the time of this notice, otherwise this vehicle will be removed and impounded by the City of West Melbourne." If the car is on private property, a copy goes to an occupant over 16. Separately, Section 54-119 lets police impound a car whose location or condition "poses a danger to the public safety".

Old registration and dead storage

Cars that sat for years often come with a stale tag. Florida does not charge license tax for the time a car was kept in dead storage, if you can show it with a notarized or certified affidavit. Driving on a registration expired six months or less is a noncriminal nonmoving violation; past six months it is treated more seriously. For a sale, none of that has to be fixed first. The car goes as it sits, and car sitting for years covers what to gather.

Title and plates from West Melbourne

Suite A108, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Blvd. in Viera, is the Brevard County office for West Melbourne. You can call it at (321) 264-6935. Measured in a straight line, it lies about 14 miles due north of central West Melbourne. Brevard may run other offices too.

On the front of the title, a West Melbourne seller fills in the price, sale date, mileage, and the buyer and their address. No notary is required. Once a West Melbourne seller files HSMV 82050, the Notice of Sale, inside 30 days, the car's registration comes off their record. The plate is yours to keep for another car, or to return to a service center if you are cancelling its insurance or moving out of state.

Getting an offer

West Melbourne owners can call (877) 421-6008 or start on our offer form. Pickup can come to a carport, a side yard or a lot off Wickham Road. Melbourne is 4.2 miles away and Palm Bay 6.6 miles. The Florida page has the statewide rules.