How many days can a non-running car sit in a Clarksville driveway?

Clarksville's Town Code 150.193 bars parking, keeping or storing an inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicle on any premises unless other rules allow it. It sets no waiting period. Separately, Section 90.10 counts an inoperable car of three model years or older as abandoned after more than 20 days in a spot that can be seen from public property.

My car was towed in Clarksville. When does the town treat it as abandoned?

Under Section 90.10, a car towed at an officer's request becomes abandoned if the owner does not claim or redeem it within 15 days of its removal.

I lost the title. Can I still scrap the car in Indiana?

Yes. For $4, the BMV's State Form 55018, a Certificate of Authority, allows scrapping a car whose title is lost, destroyed or faulty, with no replacement title needed. A salvage recycler can file it on the owner's behalf.

Does the BMV want my plates back after I sell?

No. The plates come off the car at the sale, the BMV does not require them to be returned, and you may put them on another vehicle you own.

Town guide · Indiana

Selling a dead or junk car in Clarksville

Clarksville's code gives a dead car no grace period on private land. Section 150.193 bars any "inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicle" from being "parked, kept or stored" on any premises, and says no vehicle may be "in a state of major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled." A sedan that quit last week is already out of line. We buy whole non-running and junk cars, so you can sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

Updated October 11, 2026 · 11 sources

Photo: Carol M. Highsmith · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Clarksville, the short version

Population: 22,253 (Census estimate, July 2025)
County: Clark
Inoperative-car rule: Town Code 150.193
Dead car visible from the street: Abandoned after 20 days (90.10)
Towed and not claimed: Abandoned after 15 days
BMV branch we checked: Lewis & Clark Pkwy, under a mile away
Notary on the title: Not on the BMV's seller steps
Plates: Seller takes them off

The town's abandoned-vehicle clocks

Section 90.10 lists the ways a car becomes abandoned in Clarksville. The ones owners run into:

Three days on public property. "A vehicle left on public property without being removed for three days."
48 hours on someone else's land without the consent of whoever owns or controls it. Under Section 90.26, that owner can complain and an officer follows the town's removal steps.
Parts pulled, on public property. A car "from which the engine, transmission or differential has been removed" or that is otherwise inoperable and left on public property.
20 days in plain view. Code text: a vehicle "at least three model years old, mechanically inoperable" that stays in a spot visible from public property "for more than 20 days."
15 days unclaimed after a tow the police asked for.
30 days unpaid at a repair shop or storage lot after the work is done or storage begins.

The code makes the Town of Clarksville itself responsible for removing, storing and getting rid of these cars.

What the town does after a tow

When a junk car's market value is under $1,000, Section 90.21 says the towing service "shall immediately transfer the vehicle or parts to a storage yard." That dollar figure is a legal test in the code, not a price for anything. The tower or yard may dispose of the car "not less than 30 days after" it was removed.

Section 90.27 starts a paper trail. Within 72 hours of the tow, the agency or lot sends the BMV a report with the VIN and the plate number. It also asks the BMV for the name and most recent address of the owner and any lienholder. If the car is crushed, the scrap yard sends the BMV a copy of that report.

Paperwork at the BMV

Indiana titles are issued by the state BMV, not the county. Among the branches we checked, one is at 1150 East Lewis & Clark Parkway, Suite 104. It is under a mile southeast of central Clarksville, measured in a straight line. Its listed phone is 888-692-6841. Clark County may have other offices.

At the sale, each name on the Clarksville title gets a signature and a printed name in the seller block. Mileage, sale date, price and the purchaser's information go in next. A notary is nowhere in the BMV's list of seller steps. From then, a Clarksville buyer has 45 days to seek a title under their own name.

Unscrew the plates first. Indiana lets you keep them for a different vehicle of yours, and no branch expects them returned.

A title that is lost or damaged does not have to stop a scrap sale. Clarksville owners in that spot can file State Form 55018, the BMV's $4 Certificate of Authority, and scrap the car with no fresh title. See junk car with no title for the full packet.

Around Clarksville

Clarksville is part of the Louisville metro. New Albany is 3.1 miles away and Jeffersonville is 3.8, both measured in a straight line. Seymour is 43.7 miles off on the same straight-line measure. For statewide rules, see Indiana.

Getting an offer

For a Clarksville offer, call (877) 421-6008 or send the form. Send the offer form and tell us about your Clarksville car. Our truck can reach it at a home, an apartment lot, or a garage near the Colgate Clock.

Questions people ask

How many days can a non-running car sit in a Clarksville driveway?: Clarksville's Town Code 150.193 bars parking, keeping or storing an inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicle on any premises unless other rules allow it. It sets no waiting period. Separately, Section 90.10 counts an inoperable car of three model years or older as abandoned after more than 20 days in a spot that can be seen from public property.
My car was towed in Clarksville. When does the town treat it as abandoned?: Under Section 90.10, a car towed at an officer's request becomes abandoned if the owner does not claim or redeem it within 15 days of its removal.
I lost the title. Can I still scrap the car in Indiana?: Yes. For $4, the BMV's State Form 55018, a Certificate of Authority, allows scrapping a car whose title is lost, destroyed or faulty, with no replacement title needed. A salvage recycler can file it on the owner's behalf.
Does the BMV want my plates back after I sell?: No. The plates come off the car at the sale, the BMV does not require them to be returned, and you may put them on another vehicle you own.

Sources

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

Clarksville Town Code 150.193, Specific maintenance provisions codelibrary.amlegal.com
Clarksville Town Code 90.10, Definitions (abandoned vehicle) codelibrary.amlegal.com
Clarksville Town Code 90.21, Disposition of vehicle of less than $1,000 in value codelibrary.amlegal.com
Clarksville Town Code 90.26, Vehicle abandoned on private property codelibrary.amlegal.com
Clarksville Town Code 90.27, Abandoned vehicle report to the BMV codelibrary.amlegal.com
Indiana BMV: license branch locations (GIS data) gisdata.in.gov
Indiana BMV: Buying and selling a vehicle in.gov
Indiana BMV FAQ: what a seller fills out on the title faqs.in.gov
Indiana BMV: Certificate of Authority packet (State Form 55018) in.gov
Indiana BMV: Duplicate title application in.gov
U.S. Census Bureau: city and town population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov