Selling a junk or dead car in Richmond

The yard rule in Section 94.01

Richmond's nuisance list, in Section 94.01(F), covers "the storage on the outdoors of premises of junk, scrap metal, or motor vehicles in an inoperative condition, except on premises authorized by city ordinance for such purposes." The same clause adds a second test that catches running cars too: no motor vehicle may be "parked on private property except on a weed-free surface made of gravel, crushed stone, asphalt, or concrete."

That gives two ways a parked car can break the rule here:

• it is broken down, or its tags ran out, and it is stored outdoors
• it sits on grass or dirt, whatever shape it is in

The vehicle clause, 94.01(F), shows no waiting period in the text we read. A five-day limit does appear in 94.01, but it covers discarded appliances, furniture and mattresses, not cars.

Street parking and the 48-hour tag

Section 71.12 lets city police tow an unattended car parked on any Richmond street. First, "a 48 hour notice shall be placed on the vehicle and said 48 hour time period must have lapsed." Other parts of the section move faster. A car owing $100 or more in unpaid parking tickets can be towed from a street or public lot. So can one that blocks traffic or puts people or property at risk.

To get an impounded car back, you pay the city's penalties, the towing fee and any storage, and you get a release permit from the Police Department.

State law adds its own clocks. Richmond presumes a car is abandoned when it sits on a city street looking abandoned for three straight days. The penalty is a $25-$100 fine or 10-30 days. When no one claims a city impound in 10 business days, the city mails a certified letter. From there, a Richmond owner gets 10 days to pick the car up or request a hearing. Forty-five days after that notice, the car becomes the city's. A towing company can also sell a car for its charges after mailing notice ten days before the sale. See towed or impounded.

Signing over a Kentucky title

Title paperwork in Kentucky goes through the clerk's office in your county. A seller who lives in Madison County uses the Madison County clerk. A notary must witness you signing the title. A lost title needs a duplicate first, which costs $6.00 plus the notary; selling with no title walks through it. Do not use white-out or scratch out a mistake on the title. A signed, notarized affidavit is how errors get fixed.

The buyer is supposed to transfer the title within 15 days. If 15 calendar days pass with no filing, a notarized TC 96-3 (Affidavit of Incomplete Transfer) goes to the clerk in the county where you live. Clerks then freeze registration work for that vehicle until the buyer finally files.

Plates and the property tax bill

You keep the plate. Kentucky changed that in January 2024, and moving the plate to another vehicle costs $11 one time. Watch for this. If your sale goes through in the month your registration ends, renew it to keep using the plate, or return the plate to the clerk's office.

Watch the calendar too. If the car changes hands before its yearly property tax is paid, Kentucky holds the January 1 owner liable for that tax, with some exceptions in the statute. After you sell covers the rest.

Getting an offer

For a quote, ring (877) 421-6008 or fill in the form. We ask four things: model year and make, odometer reading, starts or not, and the paperwork situation. Our truck comes to the car, wherever it is in Richmond. That could be a gravel spot behind a Main Street house, a staff lot, or a repair bay where the work stopped. Richmond sits about 23 miles from Lexington-Fayette and 18 from Nicholasville; for statewide rules, see Kentucky.