Does Johnston have its own junk-car ordinance?

Our search turned up no online copy of Johnston's municipal code, so this page is built on Iowa statute. The city may have its own limits too, so phone City Hall before you count on having time.

My car has sat unregistered for three years. What do I owe?

Iowa Code 321.134 adds one flat penalty and fee once a registration is two years or more behind. It equals 150 percent of the present annual fee, and this year's fee is due as well.

The shop finished with my car and I never picked it up. Can they keep it?

After the agreed period ends, Iowa Code 321.90 lets the garage mail a certified notice. Ten days later the car counts as abandoned.

Iowa plates: does the buyer get them?

No. As the Johnston seller, they stay yours, so take them off before pickup.

Town guide · Iowa

Selling a dead car in Johnston

No copy of Johnston's municipal code turned up in our search, so everything below comes from Iowa statute, and the city may also set rules of its own. The state's clock is short. Under Iowa Code 321.89, a car parked unlawfully on someone's private land, or left there without the landowner's say-so, becomes an abandoned vehicle once more than 24 hours pass. That covers a friend's dead car in your drive, and yours left behind at an old address. We buy whole non-running and junk cars in Johnston. Sell the whole car as it sits, with free pickup anywhere in the US.

Updated October 11, 2026 · 6 sources

Photo: Iowahwyman · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Johnston, the short version

Population: 25,065 (Census estimate, July 1, 2025)
County: Polk
City junk-car code: Not found online; state law used here
Abandoned on private land: Over 24 hours without the owner's consent
Unclaimed impound: Abandoned after 10 days
Registration 24+ months late: Penalty of 150 percent of the annual fee
Plates: Seller keeps them

Iowa's three abandoned-car triggers

Section 321.89 of the Iowa Code reaches three situations:

private land, no permission from the landowner, more than a day
public property for over 24 hours, with no plates, or so short of wheels or parts (two or more) that it cannot run at all
a police impound nobody has collected in ten days, though police may start the notice sooner

Once the impound notice is sent, a Johnston owner has ten days to pay storage, preservation and towing, then drive or tow the car away. Iowa reads silence past that deadline as agreement to an auction or a demolisher sale. Towed or impounded weighs paying against walking away.

Johnston may have its own junk-vehicle rule for private yards. We could not confirm one, so phone City Hall before betting on a grace period.

A car left at the repair shop

Here is a familiar story: the car broke down, a shop towed it in, and the estimate was more than the car. When the agreed storage time runs out, Iowa Code 321.90 lets the garage send a certified letter, and ten days later the car is legally abandoned. Selling it means acting before that window shuts. See stuck at a repair shop.

Back registration on a long-parked car

Parked cars tend to fall behind on registration as well. Iowa Code 321.134 charges a single flat penalty and fee once you are 24 months or more delinquent, equal to one and a half times (150 percent) the present yearly fee, plus this year's fee. Sitting for years has more.

Polk County title steps

Johnston sits in Polk County, where the treasurer's office issues titles and plates following Iowa DOT rules. As a Johnston seller, sign the title's back and add the sale date along with the buyer's name and address. Let the purchaser know which county registered the car most recently and on what date that registration runs out.

A car that is nine model years old or newer also needs an odometer statement. If the title is lost or faulty, an Iowa owner can ask the police authority to approve giving the car to a demolisher. Keep the plates; Iowa sends them home with the seller.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in Johnston? Call (877) 421-6008 or use the form. We pick up Johnston cars from driveways, parking lots and repair shops holding them. Urbandale is 4.8 miles from Johnston and Ankeny 6.9, as the crow flies. Iowa has the statewide rules.

Questions people ask

Does Johnston have its own junk-car ordinance?: Our search turned up no online copy of Johnston's municipal code, so this page is built on Iowa statute. The city may have its own limits too, so phone City Hall before you count on having time.
My car has sat unregistered for three years. What do I owe?: Iowa Code 321.134 adds one flat penalty and fee once a registration is two years or more behind. It equals 150 percent of the present annual fee, and this year's fee is due as well.
The shop finished with my car and I never picked it up. Can they keep it?: After the agreed period ends, Iowa Code 321.90 lets the garage mail a certified notice. Ten days later the car counts as abandoned.
Iowa plates: does the buyer get them?: No. As the Johnston seller, they stay yours, so take them off before pickup.

Sources

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

Iowa Code 321.89 (abandoned vehicles, impounds, notice and reclaim) legis.iowa.gov
Iowa Code 321.90 (garage keepers, lost titles) legis.iowa.gov
Iowa Code 321.134 (delinquent registration penalty) legis.iowa.gov
Iowa DOT: How to sell a vehicle iowadot.gov
Iowa County Treasurers: Selling your vehicle (plates, odometer) iowataxandtags.org
U.S. Census Bureau: City and town population estimates, 2020-2025 www2.census.gov