How many junk cars can I keep at my Johns Creek house?

Two at most, and only in a garage or carport that cannot be seen from the street or a neighboring home. Section 18.3 of the zoning code treats any other junk or salvage vehicle parked or stored there as an unlawful use.

Where can a dead car be parked at home?

In single-family districts, Section 18.3 bars parking or storing vehicles "except on PARKING SPACES as defined in Article III" of the zoning code. Check that definition before you leave a car anywhere else.

The title is lost. Can the car still be sold?

Yes, usually. Fulton's tag office issues a replacement on Form MV-1 for $8.00. In Johns Creek, a car aged 12 or more model years may be sold with an owner's affidavit in place of a title to a scrap processor, metals recycler or salvage dealer. Cars from model year 1985 or before never needed a Georgia title at all.

Town guide · Georgia

Selling a junk car in Johns Creek

Johns Creek puts a number on junk cars at home: two. Section 18.3 of the zoning code says parking or storing a junk or salvage vehicle is an unlawful use, "except that no more than two such vehicles shall be permitted if parked or stored in a garage or carport not visible from a street or adjacent residential property." A third one has no legal spot, even indoors. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, so one option is to sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

Updated October 11, 2026 · 10 sources

Photo: Thomson200 · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons

Johns Creek, the short version

Population: 80,401 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025)
County: Fulton
Junk or salvage cars at a home: No more than 2, in a garage or carport out of view
Vehicles visible at one house: 4 at most
Inoperable car limit: 30 days (Sec. 54-41)
Title office we checked: 141 Pryor St. SW, Atlanta, about 22 miles
Replacement title: $8.00, Form MV-1
Plates: Stay with the seller

Three limits that stack

Section 18.3 does more than cap junk cars. Together with the city's traffic code, it sets three separate rules for a house in a single-family district:

Where. Vehicles may be parked or stored only "on PARKING SPACES as defined in Article III" of the zoning code.
How many. "The visible storage or parking of more than four vehicles at a single-family residence shall be unlawful," running or not.
How long. Section 54-41 bars a vehicle left "in an inoperable condition for more than 30 days" from residential property, and it covers any vehicle without current plates too. A car "stored in an enclosed structure or appropriately covered and located in the rear yard" is exempt.

So a dead car can trip more than one rule at once: it might be the fifth visible vehicle, parked off a defined parking space, and past its 30 days.

When the paperwork is the problem

If the title has gone missing, Georgia has three routes:

Replace it. Form MV-1, $8.00, at the tag office; release any lien first.
Too old to need one. For model year 1985 and earlier, Georgia uses a bill of sale instead.
Owner's affidavit. Johns Creek cars at least 12 model years old can be taken by a scrap processor, metals recycler or salvage dealer on the owner's affidavit, which the buyer reports electronically.

Our junk car with no title page goes deeper.

The title office we checked

Johns Creek sits in Fulton County. The tax commissioner office we looked at is downtown Atlanta's, at 141 Pryor Street SW (404-613-6100). In a straight line that is roughly 22 miles southwest of Johns Creek. It is a long drive, and Fulton may have closer offices, so look first.

At the sale, sign over the back of the title and hold on to the plate. Then cancel the registration (online in DRIVES, or Form MV-18J on paper) before the insurance goes.

Getting an offer

Send the year, make, model, mileage, running condition and paperwork situation online, or call (877) 421-6008. Our truck comes to the car, in a garage, a carport or a driveway. Nearby pages: Duluth and Alpharetta. Statewide rules: Georgia.

Questions people ask

How many junk cars can I keep at my Johns Creek house?: Two at most, and only in a garage or carport that cannot be seen from the street or a neighboring home. Section 18.3 of the zoning code treats any other junk or salvage vehicle parked or stored there as an unlawful use.
Where can a dead car be parked at home?: In single-family districts, Section 18.3 bars parking or storing vehicles "except on PARKING SPACES as defined in Article III" of the zoning code. Check that definition before you leave a car anywhere else.
The title is lost. Can the car still be sold?: Yes, usually. Fulton's tag office issues a replacement on Form MV-1 for $8.00. In Johns Creek, a car aged 12 or more model years may be sold with an owner's affidavit in place of a title to a scrap processor, metals recycler or salvage dealer. Cars from model year 1985 or before never needed a Georgia title at all.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these. Checked October 11, 2026.

Johns Creek Code 54-41, Unlicensed, inoperable vehicles library.municode.com
Johns Creek Zoning 18.3, Acceptable locations for off-street parking library.municode.com
Johns Creek Zoning 3.3, Definitions library.municode.com
Fulton County Tax Commissioner fultoncountyga.gov
Georgia DOR: Replace a lost or stolen title dor.georgia.gov
Georgia DOR: Salvage dealer and owner's affidavit rules dor.georgia.gov
Georgia DOR: Title and register a vehicle bought in a casual sale dor.georgia.gov
Georgia DOR: How do I sell a car dor.georgia.gov
Georgia DOR: Responsibilities of sellers and buyers dor.georgia.gov
U.S. Census Bureau city population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov