Selling a dead or junk car in Meridian

What makes a car junk in Meridian

Section 4-2-1 defines a junk vehicle as one, or parts of one, that is among other things "in a wrecked, partially dismantled, inoperative, or dilapidated condition." Cars kept by a lawfully run business are exempt. For a household, the code's answer is cover: an enclosed structure, or concealment from public view under title 11.

The zoning title (11-1A-1) borrows salvage wording that anyone with a totaled car will know. It speaks of a vehicle damaged so that "the cost of parts and labor minus the salvage value would make it uneconomical to repair or rebuild." Idaho's statute uses the same test, with no percentage cutoff. See salvage title.

Two cars and you are near junkyard territory

The same section calls a lot a junkyard when "two (2) or more vehicles without current registration or inoperable or dismantled vehicles" are stored, dumped or dismantled there. Vehicles "stored or dismantled within a completely enclosed structure" are excluded, and so is farm equipment on a farm. A household with a stalled project car beside the garage and a dead commuter in the driveway should read that sentence twice. A car that has sat for years with old tags counts toward the two.

Street rules worth knowing

Section 7-2-2 lists places you may not stop or park, and one is unusual: within ten feet of a mailbox, from eight in the morning to five in the afternoon, on any day that is not a federal holiday. A car that died at the curb by the mailboxes breaks that rule every weekday. The section also bars parking on any part of a sidewalk or parkway.

Idaho law also forbids leaving a car behind on a road, or on land you don't control without the owner's say-so.

Paperwork from Meridian

Meridian sellers in a private sale file the title at the Ada County assessor's motor vehicle office. Idaho's title fee is $14, plus a county admin fee.

• Sign the title to release your interest. In Meridian, a car newer than model year 2010 and lighter than 16,000 lb needs an odometer disclosure from the seller.
• If the car is going for scrap, endorse "for junk only" on the front. From then on, nobody may sell it as an operating unit.
• Keep the plates and registration card. A Meridian seller holds on to both.
• Within 5 days, file ITD's release of liability ($3.50). It ends your liability for later tickets, towing and storage.

A missing title means a notarized duplicate application first; selling with no title covers it.

Nearby

Closest neighbors in a straight line: Kuna (6.0 miles), Eagle (6.1), Star (7.8) and Nampa (8.3). The Idaho page has the statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Phone (877) 421-6008 or fill in the form. Use our offer form for your Meridian car. Pickup works from a driveway, a fenced side yard or the curb.