Selling a junk car in South Fulton

The 30-day limit and the rear-yard exception

The same section sets a second clock. A vehicle "permitted to remain in an inoperable condition for more than 30 days" may not be kept on residential property. Both rules have one way out: they do not apply to a car "stored in an enclosed structure or appropriately covered and located in the rear yard area." A covered car in the front driveway does not fit that wording.

A car that breaks Section 8-2006 "shall be considered an abandoned vehicle and a nuisance," and the city may remove it.

On the street, removal can be immediate

Section 3-6009 says junk vehicles found on any public street are "subject to immediate removal to an impound facility" by the South Fulton Police Department. The definition in Section 3-6003 is wide: wrecked, stripped, partly dismantled, inoperative, or simply kept on a property or a street "without a current license plate and/or decal displayed."

Off the street, the code allows two exceptions: a junk car inside a fully enclosed building while the owner reconditions it for personal use, and property zoned for storing such vehicles.

When a wrecker took it

For tows from private property, Section 8-1008 has the wrecker driver report the removal, a description, the VIN, the tag number and the storage spot to police "within one hour" of drop-off. Tow companies working in the city must accept major credit cards and insured checks, so you are not stuck finding cash.

Georgia law then sets the timeline. The storage company has 15 calendar days from the tow to notify each owner, by certified mail or in person. In South Fulton, that letter warns the company may take its lien to court for foreclosure once ten calendar days pass. Our towed or impounded page walks through the choices.

Title and plates from South Fulton

Title and tag work for South Fulton lands at the Fulton County Tax Commissioner, one of the county-run tag offices that handle titles for the Department of Revenue. We checked its downtown Atlanta office on Pryor Street (No. 141 SW, phone 404-613-6100). In a direct line it sits about 14 miles northeast of central South Fulton, and Fulton may have more branches.

The plate stays with you in a Georgia sale. Sign as seller on the title's reverse side. After that, cancel the registration in DRIVES online or with a paper Form MV-18J. Keep the insurance going until it is cancelled. Because of Section 8-2006, take the plate off on the day the car leaves, not weeks before.

Getting an offer

South Fulton owners can call (877) 421-6008 or go online to tell us about their car. Our truck goes to it, covered in the back yard, sitting in the driveway, or parked at a shop lot. Union City and East Point have their own pages, and Georgia has the statewide rules.