Selling a junk or dead car in Shreveport

Where an inoperable car may sit

The code allows one place: inside. Keeping the car anywhere else is unlawful "unless it is fully enclosed in a garage or other building which is free from disrepair or deterioration." The building has to be in good shape too. A sagging shed with a missing wall does not count.

There is also a rule against robbing one car to fix another. "Parts shall not be removed from a vehicle and installed on another vehicle to make it operable if the vehicle from which parts are removed becomes inoperable as a result." Pulling the alternator off the old truck to save the daily driver turns the old truck into a violation.

Section 38-34 sets a short fuse for private property. An inoperable car "may be parked, stored or left on such property not to exceed 48 hours." After that the code treats it as a nuisance.

Businesses get no pass. The Unified Development Code, Section 6.1, says: "No partially dismantled, wrecked, junked, or discarded vehicles, or vehicles that sit on one or more flat tires or are inoperable in any manner may be stored outdoors on the premises."

Notice, appeal and removal

A complaint to the department of property standards, or the department spotting the car itself, triggers a written notice. It goes to the person who has the car or to whoever owns the real property. If the violation is not fixed, and no timely appeal is filed under Section 38-105, the division of code enforcement may enter and remove the car. The same applies when the car's owner cannot be found or the landowner lives outside the parish.

Normally the notice goes on the car at least 48 hours before removal. Under Section 38-41, Shreveport police or property standards can bypass that step if there is "a special need for prompt action." The section gives examples: a car blocking a driveway or a business entrance, a car placed so it puts drivers at risk, and a car harming public or private property.

Public property: seven days

Section 90-273 covers city property. A car "that appears inoperable and is left unattended on public property for a period of more than seven days" can be removed. So can one left at a city-owned housing project for more than seven days. First, a notice is fastened to it warning that it "will be towed away unless removed within seven days."

After an impound, the police department or a city contractor sends the last known owner a notice with the charges. You get the car back by paying them and "showing proof of ownership." Section 102-159 holds city-permitted tow companies to "the most recent tariff approved by the Louisiana Public Service Commission."

On a limited-access highway, Section 90-309 lets a disabled car sit on the shoulder if it is removed within 24 hours. Flashers or reflectors must be on. A car left in violation can be impounded no sooner than 24 hours after a notice is posted on it.

Expired tags in Louisiana

State law adds a cost to driving on expired registration. If you are stopped, the state adds a penalty equal to 25% of what the annual license or registration costs. The officer may also impound the car and make you register it on the spot. Annual inspection stickers end Jan. 1, 2027 for most personal vehicles.

Title and plate when the car leaves Shreveport

A Shreveport address can sit in Caddo or Bossier Parish, but neither one titles cars. That job belongs to the state OMV: its offices, the private Public Tag Agents it works with, or the mail. Details are on the OMV site.

• A notary has to notarize where the seller signs the assignment.
• No price on the assignment means a second document: a bill of sale or invoice with the real price, notarized.
• The plate is the seller's. Take it off; you can cancel it on the OMV site or by mail, hand it in at an office, or move it for $3.00. Insurance comes off after the plate is canceled, not before.
• Tell the OMV about the sale. The statute allows fifteen days for written notice on the commissioner's form.

A scrap buyer can take the car without any title, on a signed ownership statement from you. Lost the title and want a copy? Form DPSMV 1799 and its Duplicate Title Affidavit, notarized, are how the owner asks. The no-title guide has both routes.

Nearby

Bossier City is 8.9 miles from Shreveport as the crow flies, Ruston 67.6, Monroe 100 and Alexandria 112.2. More on state law is on the Louisiana page.

Getting an offer

Shreveport sellers can call (877) 421-6008 or use the offer form. Flat tires are fine, at home, a lot or a shop.