Junk and dead cars in Ashland: what the code says

Two ways a car falls under Section 95.15

The section reaches a car on either ground:

• No current plate. It is covered if it "does not have lawfully affixed thereto an unexpired license plate."
• Inoperable for 15 days. It is covered "whether or not it has an unexpired license plate."

The duty sits with whoever controls the property: owner, lessee, tenant or occupant. Two exceptions apply. One is a car kept on business premises where keeping it is "necessary to the operation of the business enterprise." The other is a car in a lawful public storage place.

That first test matters to sellers. Kentucky lets you keep your plate when you sell. Unscrew it while the car is still on your lot, and the 15 days under test one have started.

Seven days to answer a citation

Ashland's Code Enforcement Board rules, in Section 35.26, list wrecked, dismantled, inoperative, abandoned or expired-tag vehicles among the conditions an inspection can find. After a citation, the violator must respond "not later than seven days" by paying or by filing a written appeal with the Community Development Department.

Getting the car off the property within the days the notice of violation allows counts as compliance, and the code says "no further action shall be taken" against anyone involved. Nobody, city included, is liable for damage to a junked car during its removal or a later sale.

Street storage and the tow you do not choose

Section 72.007 bars leaving a car standing on city streets "for a period of more than seven consecutive days." When police tow under the junk-vehicle sections, or for a three-day violation, Section 114.005 says the owner "shall not be given a choice of towing service companies." Section 114.050 requires the towing service to keep its storage lot inside the city limits.

Snow emergencies

Under Section 72.100, the City Manager announces a snow emergency on radio and TV stations that reach Boyd County, between 6 a.m. and 11 p.m. Parking limits take effect at the time given, "not less than one hour after the snow emergency is first publicly announced." Once a Stage 1 Snow Emergency is declared, Section 72.101 bars parking on any posted snow emergency route.

Boyd County title rules

The Boyd County Clerk handles Ashland's title work. A notary has to witness your signature when you sign the title over. Write carefully: Kentucky refuses titles with white-out or scratched-out entries, and fixing an error takes an affidavit you sign before a notary, which mistake on the title walks through. Replacing a lost title is $6.00 plus the notary's fee; a speed title costs $25.

The plate comes off and stays yours. Watch the calendar, though: when the registration runs out in the same month the clerk processes your sale, you either renew so the plate stays usable or hand it back to the clerk.

Far from the rest of the state

Ashland belongs to the Huntington-Ashland metro, which spans West Virginia, Kentucky and Ohio. The other Kentucky towns we cover are all more than 100 miles away as the crow flies: Lexington-Fayette at 102.6, Richmond at 103.1 and Georgetown at 103.3. Statewide rules are on the Kentucky page.

Getting an offer

Tell us about your Ashland car on the offer form, and we will handle the next steps. The form works, or call (877) 421-6008. Our truck loads an Ashland car just as easily from a side yard, a downtown curb or a repair bay.