Selling a junk or disabled car in Junction City

What Section 235.010 covers

The nuisance list in Junction City's code reaches far. It names "disabled automobiles, and/or parts" left on "any street, avenue, easement, alley, sidewalk, park, public or private enclosure or lot whether vacant or occupied." So your own driveway counts, and so does an empty lot you own across town.

The vehicle part of the section covers a car "incapable of moving under its own power" or "in a junked, wrecked, or inoperable condition." The code says "any single one" of its listed conditions raises the presumption, and the first is the "absence of one or more parts of the vehicle necessary for the lawful operation of the vehicle upon street or highway."

Two ways the code lets a car stay

• A short stretch. The rule does not apply "to the parking of a vehicle inoperable for a period of 30 consecutive days or less," as long as subsections B9a, b or c do not apply. We did not see those three subsections, so check with the city on whether one covers your car before relying on the 30 days.
• A real screen. It also does not apply to a car kept behind "screening of sufficient size, strength, and density to screen such vehicles from the view of the public and to prohibit ready access." The screen itself has to meet Junction City's other ordinances and zoning rules.

If the city sends a notice

The code text we read does not lay out the notice steps, so here is the state framework; Junction City may have its own procedure on top of it. K.S.A. 12-1617e gives every Kansas city the power to take a nuisance car off private land. The order must give the owner "a time not exceeding 10 days" to deal with it, arrive by certified mail or in person, and offer a hearing. When the owner does nothing, Junction City does the work itself and either bills the owner, due in 30 days, or charges the cost to the property.

A car left on a public street or a lot open to the public can be impounded after 48 hours under state law. After 30 days in impound, the agency mails a certified notice giving 15 days to claim the car and pay. Next comes two printed notices, and 10 days after the second one the car may be sold at public auction. To get it back you show proof of registration and ownership.

Signing over the title in Geary County

In Kansas, the treasurer's motor vehicle office in the car's home county does titles and registrations. For a Junction City car, that is Geary County. The seller's part happens on the back of the title: price, date of sale, odometer reading, and printed names and signatures for both sides. No notary is needed. Write in the buyer's name first, because handing over a title with that line empty is against Kansas law. Keep a copy of both sides.

The plates are yours. Kansas law ends the registration at the sale, so remove the plates; moving them to your next car costs $1.50. Turning the plate in at the treasurer's office, or filing the optional TR-216 notice, clears your name from the car's record.

If the car is fit only for parts or scrap, Kansas wants a nonrepairable vehicle certificate before it changes hands. 10 model years is the cutoff. A Junction City car at that age or older can use the certificate when the title is missing. See nonrepairable or junk title for how it works.

Getting an offer

For an offer in Junction City, phone (877) 421-6008 or fill in the form. Send us a few details on the car. We can haul it from a Geary County driveway, a side lot or a repair bay. Junction City is 17.3 miles from Manhattan and 43.6 miles from Salina; for statewide rules, see Kansas.