Chamblee's 72-hour rule and selling a junk car

Chamblee's three clocks

• 72 hours (Section 18-75): an inoperable vehicle parked outside on your premises. An enclosed structure is the only shelter the section accepts, apart from property zoned for outdoor junk storage.
• 10 days (Section 58-7): once the chief of police notifies the owner or occupant in writing, junk "must be removed within ten days from the date of the notice." The rule covers automobiles in "a wholly or partially rusted, wrecked, junked, dismantled or inoperative condition" unless they are enclosed in a building.
• 30 days (Section 74-48): no junked motor vehicle may be left "upon any public or private property within the city for a period of time in excess of 30 days." The code declares one a public nuisance.

If a 10-day notice is ignored, the superintendent of sanitation can arrange removal. The actual cost is billed to the property owner, and a bill unpaid for 30 days "shall become a lien upon the premises," collected the same way as unpaid taxes.

Covers, lawns and repairs

Section 18-75 carries details that catch people. In a residential zone, a vehicle may only be covered with "a cover specifically designed for covering vehicles," so a blue tarp does not qualify. A major overhaul belongs inside a garage, though one in a residential zone may be finished outside if it is completed within three days of starting.

Section 250-12 adds that in the NR-1 and NR-2 districts, nobody may park an automobile "on grass, lawn, or dirt areas." A car pushed onto the lawn breaks that rule whether it runs or not.

Streets and public property

Section 18-75 is blunt about public ground: "No person shall park any inoperable vehicle upon any public street, alley, or other public property." Under Section 86-7, an officer may remove a wrecked car from public property when the owner asks or when it is a health hazard or unsightly nuisance. An unattended car is towed by the city's contract towing service. See towed or impounded.

DeKalb County tag office

Georgia's revenue department is the title authority, and DeKalb's tax commissioner runs the counter. One office we checked sits on Memorial Drive in Decatur, at number 4380, phone 404-298-4000. From central Chamblee that is roughly 8 miles southeast, as the crow flies. DeKalb may have other offices.

Georgia rules for the sale

On the original title's reverse, the seller prints, signs and enters the odometer in whole miles; co-owners sign as well. The plates are not part of the sale. After that, cancel your Chamblee tag with Form MV-18J or online at DRIVES e-Services. Stop the insurance after that is done.

Before handing over the title, copy it along with any bill of sale. From the purchase date, the Chamblee buyer gets 7 days to title and register it. Georgia does not title cars from model year 1985 and older. A bill of sale takes its place. Lost title? Form MV-1 replaces it for $8.00. More in car sitting for years.

Getting an offer

Use the form or call (877) 421-6008. Give us whether it starts, its year, make and model, and the title situation. Pickup works on a concrete driveway, in a townhouse garage or at a Chamblee shop. Nearby: Brookhaven, Dunwoody, Tucker and Georgia.