Selling a dead car in Seymour

Repairs go indoors

The same section allows "major overhaul, including body work," but only "inside a structure or similarly enclosed area designed and approved for those purposes." A car up on stands in the driveway with its fenders off does not qualify.

The city's abandoned-car tests

Section 93.02 lists when a car counts as abandoned. The ones that catch owners:

• "A vehicle left on public property without being moved for three days"
• a car parked so it blocks people walking or driving on a public right-of-way
• a car missing its engine, transmission or differential, or unable to run for another reason, sitting on public property
• a car towed at an officer's request and not claimed "within 20 days of the vehicle's removal"
• a car "at least three model years old, mechanically inoperable," left on private property in view of public property "for more than 20 days"

Tag, report, tow

Section 93.07 sets the order of events. An officer tags the car. If it is not moved within the set time, the officer writes an abandoned vehicle report noting its condition and any missing parts. From there the path splits on value, a legal test and not a price:

• Under $1,000 and junk: the towing service "shall immediately transfer the vehicle to a storage yard." The tower or yard may dispose of it "not less than 30 days after" the tow. When the car is demolished, the scrap yard forwards the report to the BMV.
• $1,000 or more: before tagging, the officer must "make a reasonable effort to ascertain the person who owns the vehicle."

Snow emergencies

Under Section 71.121, the Mayor can declare a snow emergency before, during or after a snowfall. The declaration can suspend parking on chosen streets or close them. The Mayor gives notice through newspaper and radio where possible. Signs, guards or barricades on the affected streets can also serve as notice, "without other advance public notice." That is hard on anyone whose car sits dead at the curb.

Title and plates

Indiana titles are state-issued through the BMV, not through Jackson County. One branch we checked, 501 Burkart Blvd, is roughly 2 miles northeast of central Seymour as the crow flies.

Your part of the sale is short. A Seymour seller signs the title, writes in the mileage, date, price and purchaser details, and pulls the plates. Plates stay yours for a future vehicle; nobody at the BMV collects them. The purchaser has 45 days to get a title in their name. Missing or damaged title? File State Form 55018, a $4 Certificate of Authority, to scrap the car anyway.

One more state rule matters if an insurer was involved. Indiana requires a salvage title when an insurer has settled a vehicle no more than seven model years old as economically impractical to repair, or when the car is flood damaged. See salvage title.

Nearby

Columbus is 18.1 miles from Seymour, Bloomington 37.2, Franklin 38.9 and Jeffersonville 43.3, measured in straight lines. The Indiana page has the statewide rules.

Getting an offer

Seymour sellers can start at (877) 421-6008 or with our short online form. Pickup can be at a home in Seymour, a farm lane outside it, or the shop where it was dropped off.