Portage, Indiana: a dead car, the city code and the sale

How Portage's code describes a junk car

Section 54-77 holds the definitions for the city's property maintenance rules. Two of its lines describe a vehicle that "does not carry current valid registration and/or license plates" or that "is partially dismantled or inoperable." An expired plate fits the wording even if the engine still turns over.

The same section lists "automobile parts; disassembled automobiles and automobiles without engines" and scrap metal among the things that count against a property when they are "not kept completely enclosed in a building." A closed garage changes the picture. A side yard or an open driveway does not.

The zoning chapter, Section 90-11.2, defines a junkyard as a place where items including "inoperable vehicles" have been "collected for re-sale, disposal, or storage." The definition counts storage, so a dead car kept for parts fits its plain words.

The two-inch snow rule

Section 78-296 changes street parking once snow on Portage streets passes two inches. From then on, a vehicle may sit on the paved part of a street only "five minutes for loading and unloading persons or passengers or 30 minutes for loading or unloading property." The police department "shall remove and impound" a car parked longer, with the towing and storage bill landing on the owner along with any fine.

If a Portage car has a seized engine or a dead battery, it won't be moved in thirty minutes. If it sits at the curb, the first real snowfall is your deadline. Section 50-88 adds a $50 police fee for any vehicle the department impounds, with an exception for a crime victim whose car was held as evidence.

The BMV branch on Willowcreek Road

Titles in Porter County come from the state BMV, not a county office. Our check found a branch at 3327 Willowcreek Rd, around 2 miles south of central Portage in a direct line (888-692-6841). Kiosks under the BMV Connect name and Partial Service Providers can process a Portage title as well.

Portage titles need every listed owner to print and sign the seller block. Portage sellers fill in the space under that line: miles on the odometer, the day of sale and what was paid, then who bought it and where they live. No notary is on the BMV's list, and the BMV also says a bill of sale needs no notarizing. The buyer must apply for a title in their name within 45 days of the sale.

Lost the paper? State Form 205 replaces it for $15.00, plus $25 if you want a speed title. If the car is going for scrap, Form 55018, the Certificate of Authority, runs $4.00. See junk car with no title.

Plates stay with you

Unscrew the Portage plates before the buyer hooks up the car; the BMV's FAQ calls removing them important. The state never asks for sold plates back, so they can ride on another vehicle registered to you. After you sell walks through the rest.

Nearby

Other Porter and Lake county pages: Hobart is 7.2 miles away, Gary 8.7 and Valparaiso 10.0. Statewide rules are on the Indiana page.

Getting an offer

Portage sellers just fill in our quick form to start. Use (877) 421-6008 or the form. Our truck comes to Central Avenue driveways, lots near Willowcreek Road, and shop bays where a repair stalled. If the emissions test is the reason it's parked, failed emissions has more.