Selling a junk car in Nicholasville

Three sections pointing the same way

The 72-hour rule is not alone. Two more sections cover the same ground from different angles:

• Section 6-302, property maintenance. "No inoperative or unlicensed motor vehicle shall be parked, kept or stored on any premises, and no vehicle shall at any time be in a state of major disassembly, disrepair, or in the process of being stripped or dismantled." Heavy work has a place: "A vehicle of any type is permitted to undergo major overhaul, including body work, provided that such work is performed inside a structure or similarly enclosed area designed and approved for such purposes."
• Section 22-66, vehicles. Owners and occupants must keep their property, "and the city street adjacent to their property," clear of old, unused, stripped or junked vehicles or trailers that are not in operating condition or not properly licensed.

Section 11-3(c) exempts cars kept on business premises where they are needed to run the business, and cars in a lawful public storage place.

Who is exempt under Section 22-66

That section does not reach historic motor vehicles that are registered and licensed under the state's historic-vehicle law. It also leaves out property zoned for that use and "motor vehicles in sheltered storage." Sheltered is the code's word, and a car out under the open sky does not obviously fit it.

Kentucky also has a classic project title for cars 25-plus years old that aren't roadworthy and were never titled in the state. It needs a sheriff's VIN inspection and carries no brands. Old project car covers selling one.

How a notice reaches you

Section 11-4 makes these rules a nuisance code under Kentucky's Local Government Nuisance Code Enforcement Act. A notice can arrive by regular first-class mail, by certified mail with return receipt, by personal delivery, or by being left at your home with a resident who is "eighteen (18) years of age or older." A final order is delivered the same ways.

On the street, there may be no warning

Section 19-13 lists inoperative vehicles among the things no one may leave on a street, sidewalk or other public right-of-way. Items in violation found on city streets or other public property "may be removed immediately by the city without notice to the property owner." For a car under the abandoned-vehicle sections that is still fit to use, Section 22-52 has city police call in a tow or storage business, and KRS 376.275 governs how it is disposed of.

Jessamine County title steps

The Jessamine County Clerk does Nicholasville's titles. Your part is the assignment on the title, a TC 96-182 form and the mileage disclosure, and a notary must see you sign. A lost title costs $6.00 to replace, notary extra.

Starting January 2024 you keep the plate, and moving it to your next vehicle costs one $11 fee. Once 15 calendar days go by without the buyer filing, hand your county a notarized TC 96-3. The car then can't be registered until the new owner finishes the transfer.

Nearby towns

Straight-line distances: Lexington-Fayette 11.9 miles, Richmond 18.4 and Georgetown 25.5. Statewide rules are on the Kentucky page.

Getting an offer

Send the form or call (877) 421-6008 about your Nicholasville car. We load it where it sits, whether that's a driveway near downtown or beside U.S. 27.