Selling a junked car in Griffin

We buy whole non-running and junk cars in Griffin. Sell the whole car as it sits; pickup is free anywhere in the US.

A nuisance anywhere in the city

Section 90-142 does not wait for a complaint. It says "the existence of any junked or inoperable motor vehicle on public or private property is hereby declared and shall be deemed a public nuisance." Keeping one on private land is unlawful "whether attended or not."

Only two exceptions are listed. One is a car inside "a completely enclosed building or structure" where neighbors and the street can't see it. The other is a car kept by a licensed towing service, repossession service, junkyard or used-parts wholesaler outside a residential zone. A tarp is not on the list.

What counts as junked? Section 90-141 reaches a vehicle that is "wrecked, wholly or partially dismantled, majorly disassembled, or missing a key component, such as a motor, transmission or body parts," and it goes on to mention "failure to display a current license tag, tag decal," so a lapsed tag is part of the test.

Griffin repair shops face a cap of four vehicles per outside service bay. Georgia adds that a car sitting at a garage for 30 days with no one calling for it is abandoned.

How Griffin enforces it

1. An enforcement officer spots the car, and "written notice shall be given to the owner of the subject real property," plus the person it was last titled to or who last bought a tag for it, when known. The deadline in that notice is cut off in the text quoted here.
2. If a Spalding County owner can't be handed the notice, "notice shall be given by certified U.S. mail, return receipt requested," at the address on the latest Spalding tax digest.
3. If the car stays, the city manager or a designee files a Complaint In Rem under the city's nuisance rules.
4. With a municipal court order, the city may enter the property and have a licensed wrecker tow the car to an impound yard. The yard then follows the state's procedure for derelict vehicles.
5. The city's costs become a lien on the property.

Griffin counts days the way its development code says: the first day doesn't count, the last day does, with a separate rule when the last day lands on a weekend.

Spalding County title office

We checked Spalding's tag office at 411 E. Solomon St, phone (770) 467-4360, which is under a mile northeast of downtown Griffin as the crow flies. Spalding may have other offices too.

A Georgia sale has two parts. First, a Griffin seller fills the Seller block on the title's back with a printed name and a signature, and any co-owner does the same; the odometer goes in as whole miles, with no erasures. Then a Griffin seller cancels the tag with an MV-18J form at the Solomon Street counter, or online at DRIVES e-Services. Drop the insurance only after that. The plate stays with you. In Spalding, a lost title comes back through Form MV-1 and an $8.00 fee. In Griffin, a bill of sale is enough for a 1985 or older car.

No emissions test stands in the way, since Spalding is not one of Georgia's 13 testing counties.

Nearby towns

McDonough is 15.3 miles away, Fayetteville 18.4, Stockbridge 19.9 and Peachtree City 20.1. Statewide rules are on the Georgia page.

Getting an offer

Griffin sellers can call (877) 421-6008 or fill in the offer form about their car. A truck can pick it up anywhere in Griffin, including a car the city has already sent a notice about.