Selling a dead or inoperable car in Derby

What counts as inoperable in Derby

The definitions in Section 8.04.010 start with any vehicle "unable to perform the functions for which it was originally manufactured." Then they add three tests, any of which is enough:

• "The absence of an effective registration plate upon such vehicle"
• a missing or broken part needed to drive legally, "including properly rated tires"
• property piled inside the car that "would preclude the lawful operation of the vehicle"

So a car with no effective plate on it can fall under the rule even if it runs. Derby calls a car "abandoned" when an officer cannot find the registered owner "within forty-eight hours after making a reasonable attempt."

Once the seven days pass, the code declares the car, "or parts thereof," a public nuisance. It exempts only a car "enclosed within a building" and one held by a business the city has licensed, operating in the proper zoning district.

Project cars and the zoning code

Restorers get a separate rule. Derby's zoning definitions "prevent the storing of any more than two inoperable or unlicensed motor vehicles for a period of more than 72 hours, which are in the process of restoration," in residential districts, "unless such vehicles are stored inside a structure or screened from public view." So two stalled builds are within the limit, but a third one left in the open for more than 72 hours is not. If the build has stalled, old project car covers your options.

If a notice arrives

The Derby sections we read define the violation but not the notice steps, so state law fills in; Derby could layer its own process over it. K.S.A. 12-1617e lets a Kansas city order a nuisance car removed within no more than 10 days, served by certified mail or in person, with a hearing available. When the owner does nothing, the city clears it and sends a bill due in 30 days, or puts the cost on the lot.

Towing and storage in Derby

Section 10.28.110 sets how the emergency wrecker company stores impounded cars. A car that runs stays at the company's main lot for at least 24 hours, space permitting, while an inoperable one may go straight to a secondary lot. Cars that weather could damage further get a waterproof cover. No storage may be charged "for the first twenty-four hours after impound," and "a maximum of thirty days storage may be charged for any vehicle." Ordinance 1645, a separate measure, authorized a fee schedule for impoundment, towing and redemption under Chapter 10.24. To get the car out, Kansas law requires proof of valid registration and ownership.

Sedgwick County paperwork

Derby is in Sedgwick County. For Derby, title work happens at the motor vehicle office of the county treasurer in whichever Kansas county the car sits. For Derby that's Sedgwick County. Fill in the back of the title completely, with price, date, odometer reading and printed names and signatures, then photocopy both sides as your proof of the sale. No notary is needed unless a lien is involved.

The plate stays with you. If it goes onto a car you are buying, Kansas wants the old car disposed of before that purchase or within 60 days after. Moving them costs $1.50. Your record on the old car closes when you return the plate to the treasurer's office or when you file the optional TR-216 notice.

Before a parts-only car is sold, it must get a nonrepairable vehicle certificate. For a Derby car at least 10 model years old, that certificate can replace a missing title.

Getting an offer

Call (877) 421-6008 or fill in the form. Share a few details about your Derby car. We can haul it from a driveway, a slab out back, or the wrecker's overflow lot. Derby is 10.3 miles from Wichita and 49.9 miles from Hutchinson; for statewide rules, see Kansas.