Selling a dead or junk car in Lawrence

How Lawrence defines an inoperable car

Section 9-711 sets the definition used in the property maintenance code. An inoperable vehicle is one "junked, wrecked, wholly or partially dismantled, discarded, abandoned, or unable to perform the functions or purposes for which it was originally constructed." The same definition covers "the absence of a current valid registration plate." In Lawrence, a running car with expired tags falls under the same rule as a wreck.

Section 9-715 is the ban itself. Unless the premises are approved for that use under the land development code, "no inoperable vehicle, unlicensed motor vehicle, or recreation vehicle shall be parked, kept, or stored on exterior property." Major work such as engine work, bodywork or painting is allowed only inside a structure built for it, and only where the zoning allows.

The definitions also draw a line between parking and storage. Parked means a temporary spot for "not more than seven consecutive days," and that definition leaves out inoperable vehicles entirely. Anything left more than seven days counts as stored.

Commercial lots near homes

Section 9-602 applies to commercial or industrial property within 200 feet of a home. Its definition of salvaged motorized vehicles includes any motorized vehicle "inoperable for a period of 30 days." If those are stored in the open, "such open storage shall be enclosed."

Streets, boots and tow lots

• 48 hours on the street. Section 17-202 lets the city tow a vehicle parked over 48 consecutive hours on a public street or lot. That happens only after 48 hours' notice is placed "on a conspicuous spot on the vehicle," and if you ask for a hearing within that window, the tow waits for a court order. You can also post bond to get a towed car back while you contest it.
• Booted cars. Under Section 17-315, a car still booted 48 hours after the notice was attached can be towed. You get it back by paying the removal fee, parking fines, towing and storage. A car nobody claims for 30 days or more follows the state's impound, notice and auction process in K.S.A. 8-1102.
• Campers and boat trailers. Section 17-412 caps them at 48 hours on a public street.

The $100 junk-vehicle path

Section 17-211 covers an unredeemed impounded car the police chief finds to be "wrecked, discarded, worn out, extensively damaged, dismantled or in any apparently inoperative condition and of a fair market value of less than $100.00." If the owner is known, certified mail gives ten days from the mailing date. If not, a single newspaper notice gives ten days from publication. After that the car may be sold to a junkyard or to the highest bidder at a public auction. See towed or impounded.

A car that sat unregistered

Many Lawrence dead cars have sat a while. Each month or part of a month the registration goes unpaid, Kansas adds $1 to the bill. A car that sat parked and undriven the whole time is the exception: a signed affidavit cuts the bill to the current year, with no penalty. More in sitting for years and tickets or registration hold.

Douglas County title and Kansas plates

Lawrence is in Douglas County, and that treasurer's office takes in-person title and registration applications for cars kept in town. The seller's part:

1. Fill out the title's reverse: what the car sold for, when, its mileage, and both parties' names printed and signed. A notary is not part of it.
2. Never hand over a title that is not completely assigned. A blank buyer line breaks Kansas law.
3. Photocopy the front and back as proof of the transfer.
4. Remove the plates. They belong to you, and a transfer to another vehicle is $1.50. Handing them back to the county also ends your ownership record, so the optional TR-216 is not needed.

A Lawrence car sold for parts or scrap needs a nonrepairable vehicle certificate first. A Lawrence car aged 10 model years or more can use that certificate in place of a lost title. A replacement title on form TR-720B costs $10.

Towns near Lawrence

Gardner is 21.3 miles away as the crow flies, Topeka 23.7 and Olathe 24.5. Statewide rules are on the Kansas page.

Getting an offer

Selling a car in Lawrence? Ring (877) 421-6008 or send the offer form. Let us know if a car on a Lawrence street has a 48-hour notice on it. Pickup can happen right at that curb, at home, or from a mechanic's lot.